Snapes' Struggle
by drwholass1018
Summary: As Severus and Hermione are bound together by circumstances out of their control, these two unlikely friends must join together to help Harry to save everything they believe and stand for. But will they find more than friendship along the way? Rated M for a reason
1. Chapter 1 The Proposal

**Snapes' Struggle Chapter 1**

"No, no and a thousand times – NO"

Potion stained hands ran though dark strands of hair through frustration. He had expected this kind of reaction from Granger. He would have done the same if he were in her position. Never in his life had Severus wanted something like this to happen, but he would be damned that if he was going to be forced to do this, he would do it right. All he would have to do is to use the right kind of persuasion with the insolent child.

"Miss Granger, do you really think that I would do this if I were not coerced"

Hermione had to admit. Snape would never seem like the person to do such a thing that he was willing to do. Mind you, he also never seemed like the kind of person who would simultaneously spy for the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix. She just didn't know if she could do what he was suggesting.

"But, But…why would _he_ want you to do this?" Hermione could feel herself whining, but she just couldn't stop herself.

Snape snorted. "It is quite amusing that you think that I know the exact reasons behind Dumbledore's decisions. He just made the gesture appear quite advantageous to the Order of the Phoenix and of course Saint Potter."

Hermione sighed again, and used her hand to cover her eyes, as though being blind would somehow get her out of this. "But marriage? Why would our marriage be useful to anyone but Vol-…_him_"

"Miss Granger, you are aware of recent events? Of Dumbledore tutoring Potter on what Voldemort's life was, in the dire hope of giving him some kind of clue so this damned war can finally end? Or have you been far too busy making moony eyes at Weasley to notice the danger that everyone is in?" Snape snapped. He knew he had been cruel, given the sudden blush on the girl's cheeks, but there was no other way, he had to make her see sense. And if there was one thing that Severus Snape knew, it was that Hermione Granger would defend herself and her friends till the day she died.

Hermione tried to compose herself. There was no way that he could tell about her crush on the horrid boy could he? She knew that he could legimise, but she hadn't felt the usual fuzzy-headed symptoms that she'd read about, and Harry described. She then just prayed to every deity that she knew that she hadn't been that obvious. Composing herself, she looked her Defence against the Dark Arts professor in the eye and gave him a look that she hoped would express the lack of amusement she felt about that comment about Ron.

"I actually know all about that, as one of Harry's closest friends. What I fail to see is how this means that we have to make the life-long commitment of marriage."

"What do you suppose Voldemort is doing right now? Sitting around, just sipping a cup of tea whilst we all prepare. No Granger! He is preparing also! He can gain easy access to Potters mind, what do you think he will do when he realises what he's doing? Just let him? No, he will make sure that Potter fails," Snape spat out, hating working with others sometimes. They would never be as smart as him and he hated explaining.

"Furthermore we need to distract him. And what would distract him more than his favourite spy marrying the filthy mudblood who so happens to be Potter's sidekick. This also helps with your predicament does it not Granger?"

Hermione blushed. She hadn't told anyone about the letter she had only received that morning. The ministry felt that since Hermione had muggle parents, she was only allowed to marry half bloods or pure bloods. It also dictated that she must marry within the next two years, and have a baby within five. Never mind whether she had feelings or anything, or if she even wanted children. Just because she was born into a different world, Hermione was faced with stupid rules that would ensure her misery.

She had contemplated her options shortly before her Defence against the Dark Arts lesson, which had been the first lesson of the day. She thought about those in her year, but she came to the realisation that they would either treat her like an object or like she wasn't there at all. Her situation was hopeless.

She hadn't expected a solution to come in the form of her Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, and such an unexpected way. But she supposed there could be worse choices. He was a member of the Order, and therefore wouldn't object to her joining. He was also clever, which would be advantageous to her during her exams. And he wasn't the worst looking wizard around…far from it in fact.

Severus watched her as she weighed him up, noticing the blush fade away. It surprised him slightly to see that he missed it. He had thought Dumbledore crazy when he had suggested him marrying Granger the night before, but looking at her now, he realised that he was getting a rather good deal. There were far worse candidates for marriage that Granger. Maybe, just maybe, this could work out.

"Are you going to ask me properly then?"

Snape almost grinned at that. How the situation had changed from ten minutes ago. He had been prepared since Albus told him about his new assignment. He reached into his pocket and reached for the ring that had previously belonged to his mother. It was a simple silver band, with two emeralds and four diamonds surrounding each emerald. It had been passed down in his family for generations. He knew it was one tradition he would refuse to give up. He knelt down and looked up at Granger, not knowing if she was blushing out or excitement or embarrassment.

"Miss Granger –"

"Hermione"

"…what?"

"God's sake Severus. If we're going to get married I think we're going to have to use first name terms"

"Oh…right. Miss – Hermione. Will you marry me?"

"You ask as if I have a choice. I will marry you Severus"

And with that he slid the ring on her finger and sent her on her way. She hadn't been expecting it when she felt it tighten, and adjust to the size of her finger. She just looked at it before stepping into her Potions classroom. Who would have thought that she, Hermione Granger, Snape's third most hated student after Harry and Neville, would end up getting married to the greasy dungeon bat? Though, now she thought about it, he wasn't that greasy.

As Snape saw in his office during his free period he contemplated the course that his life was taking, and how drastically it had changed in just the past twenty four hours. The ring had looked just right on Gran-Hermione's hand though. It was almost as though she was always destined to be the next receiver of that ring.

He suddenly contorted in pain, though he should have been used to it by now. Thousands of invisible needles tore and pricked his entire body, and he tried not to shake in fear as he realised what was happening to him.

He was being summoned.

3


	2. Chapter 2 Announcements

As Hermione sat in Potions she contemplated the drastic change that her life had taken in the past 12 hours. This time yesterday, she was just a simple know-it-all who was destined with the task of being the brains behind the golden trio. Now she was the fiancée to Severus Snape, the most hated professor in the school. How was she going to explain this to Harry or any other one of her friends? Oh God. How was she going to explain this to her parents?

Hermione was so engrossed in her dilemmas that she simply didn't hear when Harry was trying to talk to her, even though he knew she hated it whenever he started talking to her during a lesson. That's when he noticed that something was wrong with her, even if it was nothing physical, he could just sense it. And whoever had caused this change had better run for the hill. He was Harry fucking Potter, no one would mess with his friends. That's when he noticed the ring on her left hand. It couldn't be what he thought it was…could he?

The rest of the lesson went without major incident, and then it was thankfully time for lunch. Unfortunately for Hermione, it gave Harry the opportune time to get his thoughts together.

"So… Hermione. What's with the engagement ring?"

Crap. That was the first thought through Hermione's head when she was asked that question. She would have to use her famous skill for quick thinking to get out of this one. "Honestly Harry. It's not an engagement ring"

"Oh really? What is it then?"

"It's a promise ring," Hermione replied. Well, technically she wasn't lying. She did make a promise to marry Snape – Severus. "My mum is quite religious and wanted to make sure I followed in her footsteps." Hermione was surprised at the ease that the lie was coming, and she felt bad for telling it. But there was no way that Harry would simply allow Hermione to marry Sn-Severus. And she understood the importance of her marrying Snape. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be too bad.

"What are you promising?" Ron asked. Of course. He wouldn't know anything about some of the customs of the Muggle ward. Things were just about to get awkward.

"It's promising that I won't…you know…before being married"

"Oh…what does you mum think you're doing at Hogwarts?"

And for that brief moment, when the three of them were laughing, Hermione managed to forget all her troubles. She managed to forget that she was going to marry the bat of the dungeons as well as a man she barely knew. She managed to forget that they were in the middle of a war which was becoming increasingly difficult. She managed to forget all about the one man who was making everyone's life a misery.

Snape wished he could say the same.

But here he was, now bowing to the one man who he hated above all others, trying to show his dedication when he wanted nothing more than to simply kill the man. But patience is a virtue, and he would have to wait.

"Severus. My most trusted spy. How is the spying going?"

"Splendidly my lord. Dumbledore has decided seek the help of the school pupils, by trying to strengthen his 'Dumbledore's Army'. But I am ensuring that the students see sense"

"Mmhm…any other news Severus?"

Severus was shocked. Voldemort had never questioned him before. This could only mean that he knew something. But it was very dangerous to play this game with such a crazy man, so Severus did the only thing that made sense. "No my lord."

Voldemort suddenly got up from his throne, and dragged Snape to the nearest wall. He then leant into Severus' face before spitting "I know about the girl Severus".

"My lord?"

"That Granger girl Severus. Only this morning you asked her to become Mrs Snape. Why would you defy me Severus"

Severus had to do some quick thinking if he wanted to walk out of here alive, and according to Dumbledore his presence in the Order was required. "My Lord. I noticed she had an…infatuation with me and I saw an opportunity"

Voldemort loosened his grip a little at this statement. "What opportunity is this Severus? She's just a filthy mudblood"

"A filthy mudblood who is also best friends with _him_ my Lord. Maybe I could…seduce some information out of her"

"Seduce her all you want Severus, I understand you have needs. But why marry her? You deserve so much better"

"Well my Lord, Dumbledore would be suspicious otherwise, and it's more important now than ever to maintain that trust. I am more than willing to make the sacrifice for the good of the wizarding world" Severus breathed out, barely recognising what he was saying. All he knew was that he had to get himself away from this dangerous man.

Voldemort loosened his grip on Severus entirely. "Very well the Severus. Give my regards to the bride-to-be. You can go now." Severus almost cried with relief. This was the first time in a while he had managed to leave a meeting unscathed. He almost reached the door when he heard the shout of _Crucio! _from Voldemort. His body Writhed in pain and agony that he could barely think. "You didn't think you would walk away without being punished did you Severus? You lied to me. You must not tell lies to me Severus"

Severus just remembered screaming for hours before finally being released. His first destination when he reached Hogwarts would definitely be the hospital wing.


	3. Chapter 3 Realisation

As Hermione lay in her bed that night her thoughts drifted to her future husband. Twirling the ring back and forth, she suddenly had a longing to see him and be near him. She had never felt this before, not even with Ron. She tried to ignore it and go to sleep, but the feeling of needing to see him just grew instead. She knew she shouldn't be out of bed after hours…but it was only 10pm, and because he was her fiancé, maybe she could claim a genuine excuse? It was decided in that moment and Hermione climbed out of bed and started to walk towards where she knew his chambers would be. Despite the new position, Snape had clung onto the dungeon room, probably so he could get to the Slytherins in an emergency. As she got closer to his door, a feeling that something was really wrong began to overwhelm her. She knocked on his door, hoping that no one would see. When she heard moaning from the other side, she took that as an invitation to enter. What she saw was Snape on the floor writhing in pain and unable to move from that spot near the fireplace.

"Sn-Severus! Are you ok?" Hermione gasped, through sheer shock of seeing her professor in such a vulnerable state.

"Of course not, you silly girl! Now help me get to the hospital wing!" He felt ashamed asking for the help of his student, but he tried to think of it as help from his fiancé. It didn't make him asking for help any easier. Hermione took his arm, put it around her shoulder and tried to take as much weight from him as possible. Then slowly, they began the ascend to the hospital wing.

The journey there was slow and filled with small talk, most of which got rejected by Snape. But as they climbed the stairs, Hermione couldn't help but notice the muscles in his arms, and she found herself wondering if his entire body was like that. Then an image of him half naked flashed into her mind. And she didn't find it totally unwelcome. Snape was also noticing something. As he tried to not focus on the pain he began to notice that Hermione actually smelt…pretty nice. Wonderful. He could get used to that smell. Then he tried to turn his head out of shame, nearly knocking the two of them down and he was forced to smell her for the rest of the journey.

When they got to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey took over and Snape quickly got the potions to relax him and he was placed in a secret area for teachers to recover. Hermione stayed until he was settled in his bed, never leaving his side. She had no desire to. When everyone else seemed to disappear and it was only those two left, she got up t leave, and was surprised when a strong hand grasped hers.

"Don't go. Not yet," Snape said quickly, realising how pathetic he sounded. He had no idea where it had come from, but he knew that he couldn't let her leave. Not yet. She sat down silently and smiled at the professor, already feeling the pull towards him when he stood up. He was still holding her left hand – admiring the ring that had been given just 12 hours ago.

"Has anyone noticed yet?"

"Harry noticed. He asked me about it at lunch, in front of everyone."

"What did you say?"

"I…I told him it was a promise ring. I don't know. I just feel that if he knows, then _he_ would know. And then yo-we! We would all be in danger," Hermione burst out, unsure of what she was feeling. All she knew was that when she looked at Snape, she suddenly felt calm. That was something she had been deprived of for 5 years. This small token of calm was special to her, and she didn't want to let it go.

_Damn that Potter lout! _Snape thought when Hermione told him. _Why give her more things to worry about now? She probably hates the thought of marrying me, why can't he give her a break?_ All thoughts ceased in a moment however, when Hermione took his other hand and squeezed it gently. He looked into her eyes, so full of passion and care for him. He felt something that he hadn't felt since-in a long time.

"Do you want to tell anyone?" she asked. He looked away again, though he wasn't sure why.

"Well Dumbledore knows, therefore I think we can presume that all the staff know. I think it would be too dangerous for anyone else to know, they could be Dark Lord sympathisers or tell someone who is. Though, I trust you want to tell your parents?"

That's when it hit Hermione. This wasn't just some wild event that's happening in the future, she would forever be bound to this man. And for the first time since she got the letter, she felt that things would go alright. "Yeah, my parents would kill me if they weren't at the wedding,"

"Ok, Miss Granger-"

"Severus! I thought we went over this," She said, getting eye contact again. "I want you to call me Hermione. Besides, I won't be Miss Granger for long."

"Right. I was just wondering if you knew what happens during a magical engagement."

"No, I don't. Is it any different from a muggle engagement?" she looked puzzled as she questioned him. He was surprised about the lack of knowledge. He would have to teach her.

Little did they know that their conversation was being witnessed by two others. They just stood in silence as they watched this _thing_ blossom. Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore just looked at each other knowingly before giving the two the privacy they thought they had.

"Well, Miss-Hermione. The main difference between a muggle and a magical engagement is the time of it. Muggle engagements can last any period of time; however Magical engagements can last no longer than one month. The ministry is paranoid about marriage laws and try to get everything done quickly. However, due to my lengthened bachelor status, the ministry informs me that the wedding must take place within a week. They must be scared that I'm going to run away," Snape stated. When Dumbledore told him about this rule, he had groaned at the time, but now he was glad he was going to be joined to the girl sooner rather than later. It would give her time to adjust to him before any major battles begun.

"Is that the only difference? What about the actual marriage itself?"

"Again, there is a...minor difference. Muggle marriages are made official when the two participants sign a bit of paper. Magical marriages are made official when it is…consummated. And it must be made official within 24 hours of the ceremony, or they send sex experts to help with things," Snape stated, watching the young girl's face carefully as the words of what he was saying sunk in.

Sex. With Severus. Hermione felt her temperature increase at the thought, knowing that she was blushing. She mumbled a quick 'I should go to bed now' before making her way quickly back to her dorm.

As Snape lay there, embarrassed at her rejection of him, he couldn't help but wonder if she would ever accept him willingly? Little did he know that Hermione was thinking the same thing all the way back in her dorm bed.


	4. Chapter 4 Trouble

As the sun rose again for a new day, Severus was gently roused from his light sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep all night properly. The conversation with Miss – Hermione! Her name is Hermione! – had been going through his mind. She had blushed before dashing back to her dorm. Was the thought of him really that embarrassing? Well, he was the most hated teacher, bar Umbridge, Hogwarts had ever had. Plus he was twenty years her senior, of course he wasn't top of her wish list. But she had seemed almost at peace when she was with him, not jittering about telling everyone else how to do things, which annoyed him, even if she _was_ right. The way her hands were stilled when he held her was remarkable, considering most of the time they would be busy writing, stirring or creating some other kind of mess. Severus just couldn't get the feeling of those hands in his from his head. He knew he would have to do it more often when they were officially man and wife. And he found himself thinking that that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Before he could think any more on the matter, Madame Pomfrey came round with her nagging and badgering to take the potions, as per usual.

Hermione was only woken up when Lavender Brown was shaking her awake. Something about her sleeping in or something, but Hermione just told her to bugger off and rolled over. That's when the blanket was removed, and Hermione was forced to join the rest of them in getting up. As she was brushing her hair and putting on her school robes, her eyes kept drifting back to the ring and images of her parents kept cropping up in her mind's eye. What would they say? Would they let her? Did she care if they did or not? It wasn't that Hermione didn't care about her parents' opinion, but they didn't understand that maybe this would help the war effort, and Hermione was always willing to do anything to help with that. She would try and find McGonagall, and together they would find some way to contact her parents without _him_ knowing.

She marched her way down to McGonagall's office, not caring about whether or not she would miss breakfast. She found her head of house just looking out the window drinking a cup of tea when she entered. She glanced at Hermione when she entered, and she smiled at the girl who was clearly wanting answers.

"Miss Granger, what can I do for you this morning?"

"Professor, I am sure of the…arrangement that Sev-Professor Snape and I have?"

"Of course girl, Dumbledore told all the staff." Hermione nearly stifled a laugh, he had been right about that then.

"Well Professor, I was wondering if there was a way that I could contact my parents to tell them what's going on, using non-magical methods. Only, they might not understand why an owl is flying into their home and I…I'm worried that –"

"That Voldemort will find some way to intercept it. I always knew you were a smart girl Hermione. You should be in Ravenclaw. But then you're marrying Snape. That clearly demonstrates your bravery as a Gryffindor," McGonagall smirked at that, bringing a smile to the younger girl's face. "Well Miss Granger, I will be going to the muggle world today to pick up some…supplies for Dumbledore, I'm sure if you wrote a letter, I could afford a couple of stamps and send it on its way,"

"Of course Professor, when will you be leaving?"

"Lunchtime, and I shall be here when you've finished it,"

"Thank you Professor"

"It's no problem…for the brightest witch of her age,"

Hermione then left her office with a smile. First, she had Defence Against the Dark Arts, then a free period, she would write it then. Then it hit her. She was twenty minutes late to her first period lesson. With the strictest teacher at Hogwarts. And her fiancé. Crap.

"Silence!" Snape snarled. He wasn't in the best mood considering his recent departure from the hospital wing, the last thing he needed was a bunch of randy 16 year olds making a mess for no reason. It was like they couldn't care less that there was a war on the horizon. When the class had finally settled, Snape tried to continue. "Today's lesson will be the beginning of advanced Protection spells. Once you are protected, you can do anything you want to you opponent. Now get into pairs – and not your usual ones! Potter, you go with Longbottom, and Weasley you will go with Granger, and the rest of you pair up!" There were cheers from the Syltherin side of the class, and moans from the other side, as people shuffled to their partner. They knew better than to keep Snape waiting. Well, most of them did.

"…But sir-" Ron started.

"Mr. Weasley, I don't care if you have a problem with being apart from Mr. Potter, you will do as I say!"

"But sir-"

"Mr Weasley! I shall not repeat myself again! Pair. Up. With. Granger." Snape had suddenly gotten very close to Ron, almost nose to nose with him, and he was leaning over the table to make himself more intimidating than usual. The thing he hated above all others was a demanding Weasley, especially one as dim-witted as Ronald Weasley. But he stood his ground.

"But she isn't here sir," Weasley said, red faced with frustration. A quick glance around the class proved him right. Snape backed away from the boy as quickly as he had closed the gap, thinking of a solution whilst wondering where she was. She had never made the mistake of being late to one of _his_ classes.

"Well then Mr. Weasley. You shall simply have to pair up with me. How lucky for you," Snape said, a sneer playing out over his lips. His remark was met with jeers from the Slytherins and further embarrassment from the boy. "Now, get yourself up here before you state the obvious again."

Ron was about to get up when the door to the classroom door creaked open and a certain bushy haired Gryffindor dashed in, out of breath from running obviously.

"Sorry Professor, I was caught up speaking to Professor McGonagall," Hermione panted, hoping that nothing too harsh would happen. She looked at Ron, who looked at her like she had just saved his life.

"Ah, Miss Granger, it appears you are here just in time. But still not quickly enough. Thirty points from Gryffindor!"

"But Sir!"

"Thirty Five points! Do you want me to continue Miss Granger, or are you quite satisfied?

"Sir, I had a good reason to speak with Professor McGonagall, you can't punish me for that!"

"You're right Miss Granger, I can't punish you for speaking to another professor. I can, however punish you for disrupting my class, such as continuing with a fight you cannot win! Forty Points from Gryffindor, and a week of detention. Now go take your place beside Mr Weasley," Snape shouted. Hermione scuttled to the position, tears of embarrassment coming to her eyes.

The rest of the lesson went as expected, with Hermione vastly out-performing her classmates with ease. As the lesson progressed, her thoughts drifted to the detention she had just received from her fiancé. She should have known that when she was accepted into Hogwarts that life would never be considered normal again. When the end of the lesson, she walked calmly up to her professor.

"When shall I come for detention professor?"

"8pm. Meet me here, and you shall find out what you're doing when you get here,"

"Ok…Severus," She said sadly, and she turned to walk away. She was nearly at the door when she heard her teacher again.

"Oh, and Miss Granger? Do try to be on time." And with that she stormed out of the classroom and headed to the library to write her letter. He sank down in his seat, happy with the progress he had made. There was nothing like bullying a few students in the morning to get rid of a bad mood. Beside, this detention would be the perfect time for him and Hermione to carry out the plans that he mapped out.


	5. Chapter 5 Nearly

Hermione's day had dragged out as much as possible. She found it really difficult to write the letter to her parents, just how was she meant to say in a letter 'hey, schools going fine, by the way, I'm getting married to my defence against the dark arts teacher, wanna come?'. In the end, surrounded by thousands of books, she just tried her best to explain the situation, and almost pleaded with them to come to show their support, and try to prove to them that this was through choice. She needed them to understand that she was willing to marry Severus if it meant security for those she loved. When she handed McGonagall the letter, she felt that she had done the best that she could. All she could do now was wait for their reply, and hope that they would agree with her choices. The rest of her lessons dragged, knowing that she was going to be spending her evening in detention. The first detention that Hermione had received, and it had come from her fiancé, she still couldn't believe that it had happened. But she supposed that it would be better once the week was over. Then it hit her again. By the end of this week she would no longer be Miss Hermione Granger, but Mrs Hermione Snape.

Snape's day also seemed to last a lot longer than normal, though that could have been due to the incompetence of the first years. They had yet to learn that Snape was not someone to mess with, but a man to be feared. It was easier to control pupils with fear than reasoning; Longbottom was a clear example of that. He wasn't looking forward to having his evening disrupted by holding a detention, but G-Hermione needed to learn that he was an authoritative figure and no matter what, he was still her teacher. She wouldn't be getting any special treatment in class. Besides, this detention was a good way to instil a sense of normality in what was surely to be the weirdest week of his life.

By the time that Hermione had a chance to relax, it was 7pm. With only an hour before meeting with Snape, and thought back to when he had held her hand. It was such a simple gesture, but it held out so much promise. It almost promised her safety and companionship. But when he had mentioned their marriage night, she had felt something different, something she had never felt before. Desire. She had wanted him. And that thought terrified her. He was the bat of the dungeons, her teacher, her enemy…yet she still longed for his touch. The memory of his calloused hands holding hers played out through her mind. Before she knew it, it was quarter to eight, and she quickly got ready before practically running down to the dungeons.

Severus was sitting at his classroom desk, pretending to look over essays, but thinking how Hermione had looked when she entered his classroom. He couldn't deny it any longer – she was growing on him, He knew that she wasn't up to anything bad, but he needed to keep up the image that nothing was different between them. If there was anything that would mess things up at that very moment, it would be the attention of the students, with their prying eyes and the endless gossip. Snape didn't care as much, he could silence anyone with a glance, but Hermione was more fragile and he didn't want her to go through that. If anyone asked him, Severus would deny any affection for the girl, but if he were to ask himself the same question, he had to admit that he was feeling…something for the girl. She was being so undeniably brave about the entire situation, and was openly accepting him into her life; he would only hope that he could show her the same courtesy. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door.

"Enter." He said sternly, and saw Hermione walk in almost nervously. "Ah, Hermione. On time. It appears you can do it," he commented, a slight curl of his lips appearing. Hermione didn't take the rest in. He had just called her Hermione without being corrected first. It wasn't much, but at least it was a small victory, and for this she just smiled.

"So…what am I doing for detention?"

"Well Hermione, detention is to last two hours, and with the wedding a few days away, I thought for the first hour we could plan it. Then for the second hour, you can start your real detention. Deal?"

"Sure," she smiled as she sat down in the chair opposite him.

"What are you doing?"

"…sitting?"

"How am I meant to show you anything over there, come sit next to me. Silly girl," he stated, as though it were obvious. Hermione sighed as she moved to sit beside him. Did he really have to be like that?

That was the tone for the rest of the hour. They quickly decided that they would get married at Hogwarts, in the room of requirement, and also spend the night here. After that, Hermione would move out of her dorm under the pretence of the girl's prefect room finally being ready, but moving into Snape's quarters. After the wedding, they would make more firm plans. There were moments when Snape would reach across Hermione to grab a quill or some ink to quickly jot something down, and would accidently brush against her hand. They couldn't help but feel the jolts of electricity going up their spines like a spark, but neither would say anything about it, and the sheer tension in the room only seemed to increase.

When the second hour came, Severus led Hermione to a room just off from the classroom, with a shelves from the floor to the ceiling on one of the walls in the small room. On the shelves were potions, which puzzled Hermione and she turned to her professor.

"Sometimes, there is no time to send pupils to the hospital wing and I have to treat the idiot on site, hence the potions. But they're all out of order alphabetically. I'd like you to fix that," He said with a smirk – there had to be at least a thousand small bottles of potions, it would take her a while.

However, instead of the small groan he was expecting, he just saw the girl nod, turn and start with the job. Half of him was over the moon about it, but it took him five seconds to realise that she was doing it wrong – and that would never do.

"You silly girl," he whispered, leaning across her and turning the bottles so that the labels were facing outwards. "I need to see what I'm picking up," he said softly, turning towards the girl and realising how close he was to her, as well as the fact that she didn't appear to mind. That's when he noticed an eyelash on her cheek, and he simply reached out and removed it, grazing her cheek at the same time, and he heard her sigh. That sigh told him everything he needed and wanted to hear. She wanted him.

He then cupped her cheek and tilted her face towards him. She had never looked so calm to him – and he knew that it was a look that he could get used to. That's when he started to lean into his future wife, and she was leaning in too. The anticipation between them was too much for them to handle, their lips almost touching.

"Severus? Hermione?" Minerva shouted, obviously wondering where they had disappeared to. Snape mentally cursed the old woman, and slowly removed his hand from Hermione's cheek and went to the main part of the classroom. "Ah, there you two are! I was told Hermione would be here. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I handed the letter to your parents," she stated, a smile playing over her lips.

"Oh? Did they read it? Did they say anything?" Hermione asked, not knowing whether she wanted to punch McGonagall for ruining that moment or hug her for handing the letter over.

"Why don't you ask them? They're here in the castle, to see you!" Minerva said, far too excited for her own good Severus thought.


	6. Chapter 6 Negotiations

"Darling, what is all this talk about you having a wedding?" Adriana Granger hissed at her clearly embarrassed daughter, in front of her head of house and her husband-to-be. The surroundings of McGonagall's office weren't enough to calm her, not even with the burning fire.

"W-well mum, you know how the wizarding world slightly differs from the m-non-magical world? The ministry of magic says that I have to get married soon, so I decided to get it over with as soon as possible," Hermione stuttered, nervous because she wanted her mother's approval, but knowing that it would be likely that she wouldn't get it. Snape nearly smiled at the thought of Hermione just getting it over with as soon as possible, it would seem like something she would do. Her mother seemed to agree as a small smile played over her lips as she relaxed in the chair which she had been sitting on the edge of since they had entered.

"Well, sweetie, that doesn't explain why you have to marry…" Andrew Granger started, giving Severus a look that was clearly judgemental, "him."

"Andrew, leave her alone, if this is who she chooses to marry, he must clearly be good enough for our little 'mione," Adriana tried to reason with him, noticing Hermione's heightened discomfort at this probing.

"Adriana, he's her effing teacher! Now I may be wrong, but I was brought up to believe that those kinds of relationships were illegal – excuse me if I thought the same would be true even in the wizarding world!" he spat, giving Snape an evil look the entire time.

"Let me assure you sir they are. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't even consider doing such a thing. But you may be aware that we are in the middle of a war, and we have found a way to trick the enemy. Hermione has assured me that she is willing to do whatever it takes for victory for the right," Snape stated from his spot beside the fireplace.

"Willing? Just willing!" He said, anger rising with his voice, before he saw Hermione crumpled in her chair, clearly wishing she could be anywhere but here. Any anger he felt quickly dissipated, and was replaced with the urge to hold his little girl tight and take her away from this crazy place, but he knew that that would make her even more miserable. Everyone could see the change in the man, and the atmosphere in the room changed as he walked over to the young girl and held her close. "I'm sorry sweet pea. I just hoped that when you got married, it would be for love. Not just cos you were 'willing'," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"I know dad. I wish I were as well. But the ministry decided otherwise," Hermione moaned back. "But Severus is a good man. I'd rather him than anyone else."

Severus felt a sort of pride when he heard this. Andrew then stood up, walked over to his future son-in-law, and tried to look him in the eye, but due to his short stature it was proving difficult for him. "Well then. I only need to know one thing from you," He said, determined to get eye contact with the greasy bat. Snape gave it to him, keeping a neutral face at the same time. "Do you promise to protect her the best you can? That you'll do whatever it takes to make sure that she is safe – no matter the cost?" Andrew asked, keeping eye contact.

Severus broke it and looked at Hermione, who had turned towards the two men. She looked at Snape in a quizzical way. Snape looked at her solemnly, making sure there was eye contact, before saying "I promise that I will protect her, even if it means my demise." Andrew smirked at that – there was no need to be melodramatic. But Hermione knew that he wasn't exaggerating, and knew that he had meant it, and she felt a warm feeling spread through her chest. She knew at that moment that this marriage would be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Snape felt something similar as he saw a look cross her face. It said more than could ever be said with words. Gratitude, commitment and admiration crossed her face, making him certain that there was strength behind his own words that he was certain that he would protect Hermione till the day he died in any way he could. He would make sure of it.

"Well, Mr and Mrs Granger, you must be tired from travelling and sorting this business out. Would you like to follow me to where you shall be resting tonight?" McGonagall asked, speaking for the first time since entering the room. _She turned out to be so useful_ Snape thought as she had annoyed him twice that evening.

"Before we head off, Hermione, your teacher said you could take the day off tomorrow. Shall we go wedding shopping?"

"Sure mum," Hermione said, wanting to be alone with Snape as soon as possible and didn't really care about the shopping. Adriana smiled as her and Andrew followed McGonagall out of the room. Then it was just Snape and Hermione left alone together. Snape turned to leave when Hermione said "Did you mean it?"

He turned around slowly and looked at the girl. Memories of the cupboard flashed into his mind, as well as the look when she had accepted his proposal, and the way she had carried him up to the hospital wing. "I meant every word. It would be the least I could do Miss Granger," He said before leaving the room, his cloak tracing his path behind him.

The girl had a moment of calm, letting the words soak in before shouting at the door "It's Hermione!"

As Snape sat in his study he thought about the events of the evening. Damn it all, he had nearly kissed the Granger girl. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. He couldn't allow that to happen if he had to continue to be a double spy for the order and the dark lord. Then he thought of her face when he had vowed to protect her. It was a look he had never seen her give to anyone else. She had wanted to kiss him too, he was sure of it. But he couldn't allow that to happen – she was his pupil! A pupil he was going to wed and bed in a matter of days. But until then, he was going to have to be the teacher and keep her at an arm's length. For her sake as well as his.

Hermione was lying in bed, twirling her ring round and round her finger. She just couldn't get the evening's events out of her mind, keeping her awake. Had she imagined the scene in the cupboard? The way he was tenderly holding her, the intimacy told her no, but the return of 'Miss Granger' told her yes. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction to his touch, but now there was no going back. And after the way he had defended their actions to her parents, she knew that she didn't mind that this man would be her husband in just two days. She was just nervous about the night. He was bound to be more experienced than her, and she didn't want to disappoint. But then she thought back to the way he had looked at her whilst promising her dad, so intense and strong, and a calm wave hit her. She turned over in her bed and drifted off to sleep thinking of the man who would in less than forty eight hours be her husband.


	7. Chapter 7 Relief

_He leaned over her, kissing her softly before moving downwards, his hands getting closer and closer to where no man had gone before. "Are you ready for this Granger?" His deep voice reverberated around the room. "Always Severus," she replied, nearly gasping when he felt his hand edge closer and closer to that apex. "Hermione," he whimpered. "Hermione!" he insisted. Then he was shaking her "Hermione!" he nearly bellowed._

Then Hermione was awake, and Lavender Brown was holding her shoulders and looking at her with a mixture between excitement and elation. "Hermione guess what?" She nearly shouted into her face. Hermione just tried to compose herself from the dream she was having, barely believeing what had just happened. _Had she just had a sex dream? About Severus?_ Then she remembered that Lavender was talking to her.

"I don't know Lavender, what?"

"He looked at me today!"

"…who?"

"Ron! He finally looked at me today!" Lavender looked at Hermione, expecting her to join in with the excitement, but instead got a Hermione who looked dumbfounded. Hermione then proceeded to check her watch.

"Lavender, that's great and everything, but did you have to wake me up at five in the morning to tell me?" Hermione tried to say diplomatically, but Lavender's face immediately turned into one big frown.

"Well I thought as my friend Hermione you might care! I do not know what is with you recently! You just seem really closed off! God, no wonder everyone calls you weird!" She hissed, making her way back to her own bed. Hermione just sat there in her bed, shell shocked. On one hand, she was furious with Lavender – couldn't she see that she was being downright creepy when it came to Ron? On the other, she had been neglecting her friends recently, and she couldn't blame them for being angry with her recently. But she had had so much on her plate, having to plan a wedding in less than a week to a man you hardly even knew. _Oh yeah? Is that why you're dreaming about him?_ she thought as she lay back down to sleep again. Though she felt uneasy, as she didn't know where her dreams would take her.

It only hit Severus as he was sitting at Breakfast. Today was his last full day as a bachelor. Tomorrow night, he would be lying with that Granger girl. Today she was taking the morning off to go shopping with her mother, who had been quiet in comparison to her supposed better half last night. Now he knew where Hermione had gotten her insufferable nature from. Though now he was looking at the girl, who appeared to be listening to one of her idiotic friends, he reminded himself of how much she had surprised over the past few days. Perhaps when she was married to him, she would abandon her insufferable nature. Or maybe he just wouldn't notice it. Either way wouldn't cause him displeasure.

* * *

Hermione's shopping trip had been deemed 'successful', though she was just glad it was all over and done with. As much as Hermione liked some bits of being a girl, like fiddling with her hair and a tiny bit of make-up, she never fully grasped the reason why girls obsessed so much over finding the perfect dress for occasions. She understood it was important to find dresses that flattered, but did it really matter if it wasn't in the exact right shade that you wanted? Or if you couldn't find shoes the exact colour of the accessories? Had she had her own way, she would have been in and out of the wedding dress shop, but her mother had insisted on trying on at least one hundred different dresses, before submitting to the one that Hermione had initially wanted. But Hermione hadn't complained too much. She figured that it would be one of the last times she would be able to do this with her mum, and she knew they were both going to miss it. Maybe that's why she found herself holding back the tears when her mum said that this was the dress. It meant that their short time together was over.

Severus was standing outside his classroom door, waiting for the rest of his 6th year pupils to file in. It was one thing he missed about having a dungeon classroom, he couldn't sneak up on people the way he used to. He internally smiled at the time he caught Neville off guard, and he looked as though he was going to have a heart attack. Mind you, the boy always had a look like that when it came to Snape. It was a reputation which had taken a long time to build up – and there was no way he would suddenly stop now. When it was time for the lesson to start, Severus dramatically entered his classroom, slammed the door behind him and waited for the instant hush to fill the room. He soon got it, as every eye turned on their most feared professor, just the way he liked it.

Or he would have, if he hadn't heard the door open behind him, followed by an out of breath pupil. Silly person, no one dared be late to his class. He turned around sharply and was met with the bushy hair of his absolute favourite Gryffindor student. Not. "So close Miss Granger. But you must do better, 30 points from Gryffindor," He calmly stated, earning a groan from all the red clad people in the room. "Now, today you will be taking notes on the proper procedure should you encounter a werewolf in its wolf state."

"But sir," Harry said. _Trust that lout_ Severus thought to himself. "I thought we did this in third year? Shouldn't we move on a bit?"

"No Mister Potter. You see, contrary to popular belief, not everyone bows to your every whim. I know you covered this briefly in third year, and we will be going in more depth this time, but I need to make sure everyone, including Weasley, knows the basics. Everyone will read the chapter and be making notes, am I making myself clear Mr Potter?" Snape said, with every syllable getting closer and closer to Harry, to the point where he was nearly nose to nose with him.

"…yes sir," Harry stuttered. No matter how much you pretend, Snape up close surrounded in black would always be a frightening sight.

"Well then, now that we have your approval, everyone turn to page 296 and read on to page 350, making at least a two feet of notes on the matter, in your own words," Snape groaned out. Everyone moaned as they got their books, whilst Hermione just turned to the page and got started. Severus had admired that about her many times before, her ability to just get on with the task at hand, knowing there must be a greater reason for it. He sat down at his desk, watching his pupils get started on the task ahead of them in silence. After a few minutes, he got out some marking that needed to be done and started.

About halfway through the lesson he got the urge to look up, and saw Hermione looking out of the window, clearly in a daydream. He had no idea how long she had been in that state, and had half a mind to call her out for it in front of the entire class. Had he not seen her eyes, he would have done precisely that. However, the fact that her eyes had gotten noticeably darker piqued his interest. What was the girl thinking about? He shouldn't he thought to himself, but the opportunity presented itself so well, he couldn't help himself. He muttered _legimens_ in his mind, and felt himself entering the girl's mind.

When he felt himself again, he saw the Whomping Willow, and Remus, Sirius, Harry, Weasley and a younger Hermione. He couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity of the scene. That's when he noticed the full moon, and Sirius trying to hold Remus back. He hid behind a tree watching the scene play out. Why had she come to this memory? When Remus had fully changed into his wolf form, he saw himself run out, grab the boy who had minutes before cursed him. He saw himself protect the children. He had been stupid then, but it was instinct, and he would be damned if a child died on his watch. When the wolf ran away to what was now known as 'the other Hermione', the familiar scene of Harry and Sirius running after Pettigrew happened. The girl's attention to detail had been spectacular to watch so far. Then Dumbledore had arrived, and taken the Weasley boy away, just like on that evening. But that's where the true memory stopped.

He saw this version of himself turn to the younger Granger, and cup her cheek like that night in the cupboard, and begin to kiss her passionately. Severus did not remember this, and that's when he realised. She was having a fantasy. In his class no less! But as the dream Snape took Granger into the woods, he found a strange feeling begin to rise in him. It was a mixture of disappointment that he wasn't doing it, and anger that someone else was, even if it was another version of him. He followed them silently, and nearly gasped when he saw the passionate scene play out in front of him. Who would have thought that the Gryffindor princess would have such dirty thoughts about the head of Slytherin?

He knew the perfect way to punish her for not doing the classwork. He snuck around the writhing couple, till he was nearly at Hermione's head. Then he stepped out of the shadows. "Really Miss Granger, I don't remember reading this in the book," He stated calmly before quickly leaving her mind, so he could see the reaction on her face in real life.

He returned to his physical body and immediately looked at Hermione, just to see her reaction. She jumped about a foot in the air and gasped, as though she had seen a ghost. Everyone in the class turned to look at her, causing her blush to return. She then looked at Severus, who was just giving her a raised eyebrow and a slight curl of the lips. _Go on, challenge me. I dare you_ he thought. Instead of challenge, she just blushed even more furiously before bending her head over her book.

When the end of the class finally arrived, Hermione waited until the rest of the class filed out before shouting "You had no fucking right!"

"Excuse me Miss Granger? Care to repeat that to a teacher?"

"I said." She replied, getting close to her teacher and red faced. "You. Had. No. fucking. Right." She was breathing heavily, purely out of the rage this infuriating man had caused her.

"Forty points from Gryffindor for foul language to a teacher!" He shouted right back. He was about to go on a rant to her about how he had the right to make sure a student was doing her work, when he noticed something strange happening. He saw tears build up in her eyes. In all the year he had known the girl, he had only ever seen her cry once, just after her shouting at Weasley at the Yule Ball. And then a feeling washed over him, something he hadn't felt for years. Guilt.

As a tear leaked out, he wiped it away with his thumb, holding her face in the process. She was averting her gaze from him, until he forced her to give him eye contact. Looking right into those eyes, he said the two words he had nearly never said. "I'm sorry." He then leaned in and gave her what he should have given her in the cupboard.

He pressed his lips to hers, tentatively, awaiting a response from her. Though it did not come for a few seconds, making Severus wonder if he was doing the right thing, when she pressed back into the kiss, Severus had never been so sure of anything in his life. They were both lost in the moment, appreciating every moment. Then he decided to be daring and ran his tongue against her lips, seeking entrance. When she gasped, allowing him entrance, he carefully tasted her and explored her, whilst she tried to do the same. All of this was overwhelming. This sheer feeling of calm mixed with excitement and anticipation was nearly too much. After a few minutes Severus broke off the kiss and leant his forehead against Hermione's.

"You best be going now. Until tomorrow, silly girl," He whispered, wanting nothing less than for her to go, but knowing that he couldn't raise suspicions. The girl nodded, and grabbed her bag whilst leaving the classroom. Before she had fully left however, she looked back and saw her professor rise the small stair to the private office. When he saw her, he just gave her a curt nod, urging her to go, and with that she left.

"Until tomorrow," She whispered to herself, before making way to the library for her free period.


	8. Chapter 8 Appearances

Hermione had her book open at a potions page, though she was only pretending to read it. She just couldn't shake the feeling of the kiss from her memory. It had been unlike any situation she had ever encountered before, including the brief liaison with Krum just two years ago. It had been more passionate than Krum had ever been, but a quiet passion, like a carefully kept secret just being let out in small bits. She found herself not wanting to wait for the other bits. This new surge of new emotions scared her a little bit. But it excited her a whole lot more.

"Hermione? Earth calling Hermione!" Harry said quietly into her ear, as to not annoy the entire of the library at the same time. Hermione jumped, and turned to her friend.

"Sorry Harry, didn't hear you, what is it?"

"Well I knew that," he said teasingly. "I was just wondering what you thought about what he's written here?" He was, of course, referring to that book he'd been obsessed with for weeks. That bloody textbook written by a mystery person.

"Harry, I've told you before – it could easily be a her," she said, her hand outstretched for the book.

"Then why call himself the half-blood _prince_?" Harry said, almost exasperated as he handed her the book at the page he was currently reading. "He's written something here about a spell…"

Hermione glanced at the page and froze. That thin spidery scribe instantly recognised in her brain. But where had she seen it before? She raked her brain for where she had seen it before – as that was one thing that she was certain of. Then it came to her. She had seen it only last night – for that writing belonged to no other than Severus Snape.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione with wonder.

"Sorry? What do I think of what?"

"Do you think this _Prince_ person made up this spell?" Harry said. Hermione knew that Severus could be fully capable of such a thing. But she knew she couldn't tell Harry about her suspicions about the author. If he knew that Severus was the person guiding him through potions, Harry would dump it quicker than you could say 'cauldron', and as troubling as the book could potentially be, Hermione knew that Harry needed the help in potions to become an auror.

"I don't know Harry. Possibly," Hermione said as truthfully as she could. There were a lot of secrets she was keeping from Harry. But she knew it was for his own good. She would be outcast if anyone knew that she was engaged or married to the bat. And she needed her friends as much as they needed her.

"Hermione…what's been troubling you? You haven't seemed like yourself for ages." Harry solemnly asked. She looked into his eyes, and saw the look of concern. Hermione knew he had probably worried about her, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him everything. She just couldn't be sure that Voldemort wouldn't find out – and she wanted to keep Severus safe. No matter what.

But she couldn't lie to him any longer. "Harry, believe me, I would tell you if I could. But right now, it's just far too risky. Just trust me – I know what I'm doing," she replied, with an almost smile on her face, to try and mask the internal conflicts that were constantly going on.

Harry's face quickly turned into a face that had been betrayed. "Hermione, don't you trust me? I-I could help you! And you won't even let me try!" Harry said, his voice increasing in volume with every passing word, making Hermione squirm. She didn't want to get kicked out of the library.

"Harry, it's not about trust! Not everything is black and white! Just know I'm trying my best!" Hermione hissed, quickly grabbing her books and fleeing from the library. This was quickly turning into one of the worst days of her life.

She was trying to storm to the Gryffindor tower for sanctuary when something stopped her in her tracks, nearly causing her to fall over if she hadn't been caught in time.

"Careful Miss Granger, wouldn't want to cause more mayhem than there already is in this castle," that familiar sinister drawl said. Hermione looked up and sure enough, she saw those dark eyes surrounded by that long dark hair that had become part of his image. She just looked away and marched to her destination.

_Strange. No comment? _Severus thought, until he saw Potter quickly follow Hermione's path. He looked deeply angry about something. As he passed, he just gave Severus a foul look before moving swiftly on. There was no question about it. Potter had riled Hermione up. It wasn't his place to get involved in their spat. Doesn't mean he won't, he would just have to wait for the perfect time.

Hermione had just run up to her dorm room, where it had unsurprisingly been found, and threw herself onto the bed and cried. Every emotion she had been building up for the past week had suddenly been let out at once. Her roommates came periodically, and tried to comfort her but she refused to tell them what was really wrong. She couldn't. Lavender was the last girl to see her like this before it was time for dinner.

"Hermione, I didn't mean what I said you know. Not everyone calls you weird, and you're not, I'm sorry if I upset you," She cooed, trying to find the right combination of words to make everything better.

"It's OK Lavender, I know you didn't mean it," Hermione replied, trying to hold back the tears. "I just need some time alone, you know?"

"Sure Hermione," Lavender said, and slowly exited the room, her mind filling with thoughts of Ron with every retreating step.

Hermione just lay there, letting tears escape. She knew she should probably go to dinner, but she just couldn't bring herself to. She wasn't particularly sad about the prospect of marrying Snape, it was more the fact that she had to keep quiet about it all. Well, she didn't _have_ to, but she knew it would be best if no one knew. There had been some major changes to her life in the past week, and having it all happen without being able to tell anyone, without being able to talk about the emotions about it was slowly driving her crazy. But she just had to do it.

Severus sat at the head table in the Great Hall during dinner, and as he observed the diners, he felt uneasy about one observation. Hermione didn't come down for dinner. It brought him to earlier that day, when she had bumped into him. _Surely a minor scuffle with Potter hadn't made her this upset? He was only a silly boy for Christ's sake!_ He thought to himself, as he studied the boy in question. He was behaving as though nothing had happened, only one in a while looking for Hermione and finding no one. _I'll ask her about it in detention_ Snape thought as he rose from the table and began to go to his classroom. He had an hour before the girl was destined to arrive.

He was sitting there in his classroom when the clock struck 8. And when it struck 8.15. And when it struck 8.30. This was disconcerting, and he knew what to do. Rising from his table, he felt a sense of foreboding as he started the trek to the Gryffindor tower. Hermione had never been late for him, and he wasn't about to let her start getting away with it now. When the portrait had asked him for the password, he simply gave her a look that said 'I'm a professor. Let me in.'

He would never forget the look on everyone's face when he had entered the room. All of them seemed to be a mixture of anger and horror. Neville just looked as though he was terrified, which seemed to please Snape somewhat. It was far too easy to scare the boy. But there was no sign of the girl. Only one thing for it.

"Where will I find Miss Granger?" Snape said to the room, all of them seemed terrified to answer. That was, until Potter stupidly spoke up.

"This is the Gryffindor tower! You can't be here!" He snapped at the older man.

"I am perfectly aware of where I am Mr Potter, and as a professor I can be here," Severus said tiredly. Couldn't the boy ever stop being a prick, even if it was for one second? "Now we are aware of the surroundings, perhaps you will answer my question. Where is Miss Granger?"

"She's none of your concern! She's not even in your house!" Harry shouted at the professor, his face heating up with anger. Severus almost smirked. _How wrong he is_ he thought, _if only he knew how much of my concern she really was_.

"She was meant to be in my classroom 45 minutes ago Mr Potter, making her my concern regardless of house. I shall ask only once more. Where. Is. Miss. Granger?" Snape smoothly said.

"She's in the dorm room. Over there," Ron said, gesturing to the set of stairs. _Ah, it appears he does have brains_ Severus thought as he went in the direction pointed out, hearing murmurs of how unlucky Hermione was and how little they would like to be in her shoes.

When he climbed the stairs, he could tell that he was out of earshot of everyone, and he quietly chapped the door. "Hermione, are you decent?" he quizzed. He got no reply. He would have to chance it. He opened the door slowly, trying to give her plenty of warning that he was entering. He quickly looked around the room, and soon saw her, in a small pile on what must be her bed. He silently went to the girl, sat on the bed behind her back, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Talk to me," he said quietly.

Hermione turned over and faced her professor. He saw the tear stained eyes, and waited patiently for her to begin. "I just-," she tried, but the words got mixed up whilst she was trying to say it. She tried again. "All these changes, and no one to talk to. I just couldn't take it anymore," she practically whispered to the room. Snape took the words in, and immediately felt bad for the entire situation. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, she wouldn't be feeling this.

"You know Miss Granger, if you want to get out of this you still can. You would still have to find another husband, but if you didn't want it to be me…I would understand," He said solemnly. He was surprised to see that Hermione looked confused by his statement.

"No. I don't want out. I just want someone to talk to about it. It's a lot to keep in. I don't know how you do it," she said, offering a weak smile.

"I don't Miss Granger. I never keep it to myself. I talk to Dumbledore about things – he normally knows anyway," he replied, offering a small smile back. He was delighted to hear a small giggle at that. He took her hand in his, and looked into her eyes and said "If you ever need someone to talk to Hermione, I've been told I'm a very good listener,"

"Thank you Severus," she replied, instantly seeming more at peace. "I appreciate it."

"You can have this evening free from detention. It's actually a good thing you got it. Now you have an excuse for tomorrow," Severus said, squeezing the girl's hand one more time before getting up, and making his way to the door.

"Severus?" Hermione said quietly.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"…Thanks."

And that word made everything alright. He gave her a curt nod and left the room, leaving Hermione alone once more. Only this time, she was at peace with everything. He had taken time out to seek her out and make sure that she was OK. That small gesture made her feel safe. And that made her more certain more than ever that she was doing the right thing. And that's why, even though it was only 9.15, Hermione drifted off into a peaceful sleep, and got a rest that she deserved.

Snape had evaded the sharp glares of the Gryffindors as he left the tower and he quickly made his way back to the room in the dungeon. He found himself to be too restless to even consider going to sleep, but went to his bedroom anyway. As he gazed out of the window, seeing an enchanted image of the Hogwarts grounds at night, his mind drifted back to the kiss earlier that day. And he found himself at peace with the world for the first time in twenty years. He smiled at that, and continued to spend the rest of the evening thinking of the busy haired Gryffindor who had brought him comfort after so long.


	9. Chapter 9 Joining

Hermione woke up the next morning and saw the early morning sun. It dawned on her that by the end of the day, she would no longer be Miss Hermione Granger, but Mrs Hermione Snape, and everything that that suggests. She felt a tingle of excitement shiver up her spine at that thought. She then felt calm and no longer in distress as she had been the day before. She knew that she wasn't going to be marrying the evil bat of the dungeons, which would bite your head off as soon as look at you. She was going to be marry an almost friend, someone she could talk to, and she felt a smile spread across her face at that, as she got ready for her last school day as a spinster.

Severus woke up later than normal, it seemed that he had been up later than he thought contemplating the situation he was about to enter. There were worse people to marry than the Granger girl, and he found himself almost caring about her welfare. _Come on Sev, you know you care about her, why else would you go see her last night?_ He looked at himself in the mirror, and he could deny it no longer. He cared for the girl. And it hurt more than anything he had felt in a long time. Had he felt this way with Lily? _Almost certainly_. He shook the thoughts from his mind. There was no time for this now. He had classes to attend to, and a girl to marry. He smirked at that thought, and got ready for the day.

Their day seemed to be different than any other. Not because of the activities, as any outsider would look in and see that there was nothing different, but because of the atmosphere. At the Great Hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner, everyone went about their daily business as normal. But Hermione and Snape felt a strange aura around them, as though something had changed. They both found it odd to think that this was their wedding day, as it certainly didn't feel very special. But it felt different at the same time.

The lessons also felt differently. With every class that entered, Snape felt a different energy, like a mixture between with the normal Friday attitude mixed with anticipation. He wondered if his pupils could feel it too, it was such an intense feeling, it almost stopped him in his tracks every once in a while. He knew that Hermione was probably feeling it too, and was almost grateful for the sentiment. If she felt it too, then it just showed that they would be able to work through the strange predicament they had found themselves in. Hermione was trying her best to work through her classes and speak to her friends normally, but the fact that she knew that she was going to be wed that very night kept being brought to the forefront of her mind. Nerves were kicking in, mixed with excitement and anticipation for what would be coming. Or rather – who.

Before either of them knew it, it was 7pm. Only one hour until their fateful joining. They both knew the plan. There were two classrooms close to the room of requirement where they could get ready separately. Then they would go to the room, where Minerva, Dumbledore, Hermione's parents and a ministry official would be waiting. Then they would get married, say their goodbyes and the night would really begin.

When Hermione got to her classroom, she was surprised to see her mum there, all ready for the occasion, and with a big smile on her face. "Mum? What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping you get ready for your big day of course! Here, I've brought you two presents," She said, a spring in her voice.

"Oh mum, you shouldn't have," Hermione started, before being silenced with a glare from her mother. Her mother brought out two black boxes from her bag, two expensive looking boxes.

She opened the first one to reveal a beautiful necklace. It was silver, with a small locket on the end. "Here is your grandmother's necklace. It's been passed down from generation to generation, and now it's your turn to wear it. I thought it could be your something old and your something borrowed." Hermione had never seen a beautiful delicate piece of jewellery before, and she knew she would be honoured to be wearing it. Adriana then opened the second black box, which revealed a delicate bracelet, which looked like vines intertwining with each other, and periodically there was sapphires fixed to the piece. "And I bought this for you. It was intended for your 18th, but since you're getting married first, I thought you would appreciate it better now. It can be your something new and something blue," She offered, smiling. Hermione could feel herself tearing up. She was ruining everything wasn't she, by doing this? How could she have ruined her parents' lives like this?

"I'm sorry mum," She tried, but Adriana waved it away.

"You have nothing to apologise for. No matter what, you will always be my little 'Mione, you know that, don't you?" She said, and took her daughter in her arms when she began crying, like she had skinned her knee. "Come on then, that's enough tears, let's get you ready!"

Severus was ready within ten minutes of arriving at his classroom, he just ran a brush though his hair and put on his dark dress robes, and then went to the room of requirement. It was decorated beautiful – even more so than the Great Hall for the Yule Ball. Drapes covered everywhere, making the room look as though it could simply float away. It was all decorated with cream, pearl or gold, and there was one row of chairs, making about four guests for the wedding. There was also a table for the official, where they would record what was taking place in this room. Severus was speechless at the room, but he soon came back to reality. There he was met with Minerva and Dumbledore, as well as the blasted Ministry official. They were all twittering on about how it was the best day of your life, and asking if he felt the love in the room? He replied with some snarky comment, but to be honest, his mind was on other matters. He was worried about that evening, he didn't want to hurt the young girl, yet he knew it would be nearly impossible not to. He just placed faith in the fact that she was willing to marry him, and this would be one obstacle they would have to get through.

"She's coming!" Her mother whispered excitedly through the slightly open door. Everybody took their position: the official standing behind the table, Dumbledore and Minerva sitting on one side of the aisle, and Severus not too far in front of them, standing to the right of the official's table. Then Hermione's mother sat on the other side of the aisle, furthest from the aisle, whilst her father joined his daughter outside. Severus could feel his heart began to race.

A quiet harp began to play to signal her arrival. He heard the doors shut behind her, and the shuffle of the spectators to gawp at the girl. He heard gasps, and decided to turn around. What he saw made his heart stop. He didn't see Miss Granger walk towards him, but a beautiful young woman. Her light brown hair was in soft curls to just midway down her back, and she wore a small glittering hairband in it, just accentuating the beauty of it. Her face was only mildly covered by the veil, and although she was wearing more make up than normal, it wasn't too much for the girl; it just highlighted even more what was beautiful about her, like the curve of her lips or the shade of her eyes. And then there was the dress. A strapless white A-line gown, which had an empire line, and seemed to float around her just highlighted that she was a woman, but didn't throw it in everyone's faces. She wore three pieces of jewellery which only brought out how beautiful the young girl was. She was holding a small bouquet of white roses, and holding onto her father's arm – but there was no mistake about it. She was a young woman now.

This enchantress and her father finally got to where Severus was standing, and Andrew turned to his daughter and lifted the veil gently from her face, revealing what everyone knew was a gorgeous young woman. He then placed his daughter's hand in the arm of her husband-to-be, and leaned to Severus' ear and hissed 'You hurt her in any way, and I'll have your guts for garters', before moving away and joining his wife. Severus led the woman to in front of the official, and signalled the start of the ceremony.

"Today, we celebrate the union between this man and this woman in matrimony, as is certified by the ministry of magic. If anyone has any lawful reason why these two cannot be wed, speak now, or forever hold your piece," The magistrate started, holding his breath for ten seconds before proceeding with the rest of the procedures. "Do you have the rings?" he asked, and Snape dug into the inner pocket of his dress robes and brought a small dark green box, which held the two platinum bands. He gave the thicker one to Hermione, whilst gripping the thinner one. "Good, repeat after me," and thus led the two people into their vows. When they slipped the rings onto the others fingers, they could feel a slight burning sensation as the ring solidified their joining. They felt the rings tighten to their size. But throughout the entire process, the two couldn't keep their eyes off of each other, like they were eager for this part to be over and for the real joining to begin. "I now declare you husband and wife – you may now kiss the bride!"

_At last_ Severus thought, as they leaned into each other and gave a somewhat chaste peck on the mouth. Dumbledore and Minerva went up to sign for the fact that they were witnesses to the ceremony, whilst Severus and Hermione said goodbye to her parents. It was emotional for Hermione, but she knew she would see them again. And that made it ok. Severus wasn't so emotional about it, which was only cemented when Andrew gave him an evil look as he was leaving. _Daft muggle_ he thought. Minerva and Albus said their goodbyes shortly after that – a knowing twinkle in both of their eyes. Then the magistrate went up to the 'happy' couple, and ensured they knew that the ceremony was only a front – and what they had to do to seal it. They both nodded and as he left the room, they just looked at each other. Another door appeared in the room of requirement, and Severus just looked at his new bride and said "Shall we Miss Granger?"

She stiffened at this. She then looked Severus in the eyes and said "Do you know why I hate it when you call me Miss Granger? It's because it's what you called me when I stepped into your class in first year. I'm not that girl anymore, Severus. Hell, I'm not even 'Miss Granger' anymore. So please, I insist! Call me Hermione."

Severus just looked at the girl for one second before swooping in and kissing the woman again. He knew would could never grow weary of this, her soft lips lightly pressing back against his. She was still mad at him, but she couldn't resist how the sensation felt, and gave in, allowing him full access. But he didn't take it, instead making a line of small kisses along her cheek and eventually her ear, where he quietly growled "Hermione," which was only a small sign how much he wanted her in that moment.

He knees nearly gave way at that, but he caught her, swooping her up into his arms and carrying her through the door, kissing her as the door shut behind them.


	10. Chapter 10 The Beast with Two Backs

Severus gently let Hermione down when they got through to the bedroom within the room of requirement. She looked around in amazement at the room, and she knew she would never be able to stop being amazed at the room which had helped them out so many times before. The roof had taken on the properties of the Great Hall, and revealed a clear sky full of stars, and each one of them seemed to shine individually, providing the only light in the room. The rest of the room seemed to blend with this night sky, and was midnight blue with some cream accents around the room. But without a doubt the feature that took up the room was the big bed in the middle. Dark wood encased what looked like a really soft dark blue coverings. There was also two wardrobes in the room, presumably for the morning that was sure to follow. The sight made Hermione sigh with content. Severus had to admit, it was certainly a nice room. Then he felt Hermione stiffen beside him, and he took her in his arms, and murmured into her hair "What is it?"

"I-I," she tried to start again, but the words were becoming more difficult to say. "I've never really done this before," she stuttered, and looked into his eyes. She thought she would see annoyance, or some other kind of negative emotion, but she saw understanding.

He just nodded and said back "I'll be gentle," before kissing her again. It was more insistent than previous, but it was still gentle. It made Hermione feel light headed. He then moved down her neck, making small nipping kisses, which caused Hermione to gasp. Hearing her have these reactions caused Severus to react in his own way. _Dear God, this witch_. He thought. He then brought his attention back to her mouth, taking the opportunity when she was gasped to explore her mouth again. Hermione felt him there, gently exploring,with just enough pressure to push the boundaries without seeming too possessive. She tried to fight back against him, but he claimed dominance, and she felt a jolt of exhilaration up her spine upon realising this.

He moved his hands from around her shoulders and gently removed her headband and veil and tossed them to the floor. Then he moved to the back of her dress and slowly slid the zip down. Once fully down, he placed his hand on the small of her back, the skin on skin contact making her hiss with pleasure. Severus then kissed Hermione with wild abandon, making them both moan. Severus could feel himself getting stiffer with every heavy breath, whilst Hermione could feel her excitement and anticipation grow with every touch from him. She delicately stepped out of her dress, leaving her in only her undergarments, pulling Severus with her as she backed herself into a wall. She then tried to unbutton his shirt, but he swatted her hands away, and removed it faster than she would have been able to in her slightly hazed state. What he revealed was a toned, pale body, which Hermione couldn't help but run her hands down, as if to prove that he was really there. He breathed into it, the air thickening with the tension that was increasing between them. He then kissed the curve of where her neck met with her shoulder, and gently sucked, and Hermione raised her head to expose more of herself, to get more of the sensation that was growing in the pit of her stomach. He lowered his hands to her hips, and tried to lift her, and she wrapped her legs around him, something which he found very pleasurable.

He then walked them over to the bed, and once there, untangled the girl from him and took one moment just to look at her. Stroking the length of her side he whispered "When did you get so beautiful Hermione?" which caused her to blush a little more. He kissed her again, and she smiled, knowing she would never get sick of this feeling on her lips, and arched her back slightly when she felt his hands slip around her back to remove her strapless bra. Once the clasps were undone, he stroked the newly bare skin there softly, feeling her shiver at his touch. He chuckled warmed at that, and sucked gently at that special spot on her neck again. Hermione could feel herself get lost in the feelings of it all, and she wanted to stay in that moment forever. Severus threw the offending article from the bed, taking in her beauty even more. Whilst kissing her neck, he began to gently explore the girl underneath him, exploring her flat stomach, till he was met with the hemline of the last piece of clothing she was wearing. Looking into her eyes, he whispered "Are you ready for this Granger?" causing Hermione to shiver slightly with recognition. But she couldn't express herself through words, as she quickly nodded. He then gently ran his hand underneath the cloth, and cupped her gently, causing her to moan again, and she pressed back into his hand as she arched her back slightly. "Do you know what I felt when I caught you having your fantasy in class Hermione?" he groaned, bringing Hermione to focus just enough to give him a curious look. "Jealousy," he replied, and then took her nipple into his mouth and sucked gently, whilst his finger began to circle the most sensitive area of her body. She moaned at the stimulation in both areas of her body. Severus felt himself getting even harder at every sound she was making. _Patience Severus, patience. _Hermione, however, couldn't feel anything but what he was doing to her, and could feel herself getting closer and closer to the edge. Just a little bit more and she would be over. Severus then leaned into her ear and whispered into her ear "You're mine now Hermione, mine." This caused Hermione to be flung over the edge, and Severus helped her as she rode out her orgasm, loving the fact that she had cried 'Severus!' at the crucial moment.

Severus looked at her a few moments after she fell, and noted how serene she had looked. She watched him too, noting the tender look in his face, and gently brought up her hand and cupped his face gently, rubbing her thumb across his stubble that was beginning to show. "I'm ready," she said, noticing the glee that spread through his eyes as she said it.

"Thank God Mi-Hermione," He groaned, ripping the underwear from her, causing her to gasp at the feeling of air touching her sex. He then kissed her gently, whilst using his hand to bend one of her legs, allowing him to position himself at her entrance. Once he was ready, he gave her one last look, one last check to make sure she was ready. She nodded, and wrapped her hand around his shoulders for support as he began to push into her. She felt him in her, pushing past every resistance she had, and she breathed deeply, relaxing herself as he pushed further and further into her. The he reached the limit. He then leaned into her ear and whispered "I'm sorry Hermione." Then he pushed his hips into hers and took her virginity from her. Hermione felt a lot of discomfort, and felt some tears rolling down her cheeks. Severus saw this and took her face in his hand, and used his thumb to gently wipe away these tears, giving her a look of condolence. He gave her a few moments to adjust, and then pulled out before thrusting into her again. The sheer tightness around Severus made it difficult to concentrate, and he tried to make sure that he lasted as long as possible. He continued to thrust gently in and out of the girl, and what she once found uncomfortable quickly became pleasurable, and felt herself trying to join in his thrusts. He then felt himself speeding up, and decided to give the girl more pleasure, and reached between them and circled that sensitive area again. She was so close to that edge again, and this time she felt better about it because she knew that Severus was near that edge too. A few more thrusts combined with his efforts and Severus could feel the girl tightening around him, knowing he had succeeded again, and then he was over the edge, filling her with his seed. He then felt his limbs weaken, and collapsed onto the girl below him.

She wrapped her arms further around him, stroking his hair softly whilst trying to memorise this feeling, of him inside her, in this tender moment. He felt her soothing him, and soon got off of her, and removed himself from her and graciously fell beside the girl onto his back. The stars above them seemed to glitter more brightly now, and he felt proud of himself. Hermione was now _his_ and no one else was going to take her from him, so long as he was still alive. He looked over Hermione now, and saw her looking at him. He opened his arms, and she crawled to be within them, her head leaning on his chest. He played with her engagement ring, like she had done so many nights before now. She listened to his soothing heartbeat, so strong and steady, and she drifted to sleep. She thought to herself that she could get used to this. He was thinking the same thing as he joined her in slumber land, beneath the glittering stars above them.


	11. Chapter 11 The morning after

Severus woke up to the glittering stars being gone from above them; instead saw a beautiful dawn scene around him. The colour scheme of the room had changed with the change of sky, the cream accents swapped for light green, and the midnight blue changed for the same tone of blue that the sky now was. He looked at his watch which was on the bedside table. It appeared the sky was not in keeping with the real time, as it was 10am, and he knew he needed to get up. Then he saw the girl on his chest, and he never wanted to move again. She looked so peaceful, and he gently stroked her hair, which was so soft. Everything that had happened the previous night ran through his head whilst looking at her. It brought a smirk, it hadn't been as bad as his nightmares had led him to believe, there was much less crying anyway. He then saw her stir, and she looked at him through groggy eyes. She then took in the surroundings around her and was slowly coming to the same conclusions as Severus. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Ten in the morning. We should probably join the rest of the castle."

"Oh god. Where are they going to think I was last night?" She said, not moving a muscle away from him.

"Professor McGonagall told me she would tell your roommates that your prefect quarters are now finished, and that you've moved into there, therefore your entire house – no, the entire school will know you're in a prefect room. We'll settle you into my quarters later, but now we really should get up," He said, stroking her hair the entire time, not wanting to let her go. He saw Hermione cast a look at her new wedding ring. _She must be worried about people asking. Good thing I prepared for this_. "Hermione, give me your hand."

"Again?" She said, a smile playing across her lips. He heard a deep chuckle from above her.

"Yes, again," he replied. He reached for his wand on the bedside table, and Hermione gave him her hand. He pointed his wand at the ring and murmured a quick disillusionment spell, and she saw the ring disappear from before her eyes. How did he know?

"Your face, Mi-Hermione. Your face tends to reveal what you're thinking," He replied, smiling to himself. "Now no-one will know you're married to the dungeon bat." He saw her face redden slightly. "Of course I've heard the rumours, I've utilised them – fear doesn't grow by itself you know," he said, smiling. "Now, Hermione, we really have to get up and go," he said trying to get up, and Hermione rolled off him, but as he tried to get out, she touched his arm, causing him to look round. She just looked at him, and he knew what she wanted. He leant in and gave her another kiss, a common occurrence he was growing to like. She tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away slightly. He whispered "What have you done to me, silly girl?"

Hermione knew he meant it affectionately and just smiled at him. He then pulled himself away from her and got dressed. He had arranged for a house-elf to bring some clothes and leave them in the room where he and Hermione had gotten married. He quickly dragged in the package, and gave Hermione her set, but she was still in bed and looking like she wasn't going to move anytime soon.

"Hermione, we really have to go. Otherwise questions will be asked," he said, beginning to get annoyed with her now, as he was putting on his clothes.

"I know, but I just don't want to leave this room. It's so beautiful," she said sadly. He understood, and turned whilst she got out of bed and quickly into casual clothes. She saw his mind working and smiled, she realised she had smiled more in the past 24 hours than she had in the past week. "I should go now," she said, more to herself than to anyone in particular. Severus smirked to her as she left the room. He was staying behind to make sure their belongings got to their room without any disturbances.

Hermione arrived in the Great Hall just in time to see Harry try to slip something gold into Ron's drink. Immediately she knew what she saw. "Harry James Potter, what the hell do you think you're doing!" she hissed into his ear, gaining the attention of Ron. Harry pulled an innocent face, whilst elaborately putting away the Felix Felicis. Hermione's blood began to boil. How could Harry use such a highly sought after potion on such a trivial thing as a Quidditch match? She saw Ron drinking away happily, but she felt sick to her stomach about what she had just seen, and gave Harry an evil look for the rest of breakfast – something he wasn't comfortable with.

* * *

Severus had just made it in time to see the beginning of the Quidditch match. He despised the sport, but he had to be there to show something like 'support' for his house. When he got there, he was unnerved to see both Minerva and Dumbledore looking at him, with an almost twinkle in their eyes. He hated it, and sat down as far from them as possible. The last thing he needed right now was them going on about what was meant to be a secret arrangement. He knew he was surrounded by people who knew the secret, and it just made him more uncomfortable. He decided that the best course of action would be to simply stare ahead of him and try to focus on this shambles of a game. He scanned the stands, looking out for any malicious behaviour – which was often more interesting than the game itself. Then he saw _her_, and felt himself relax a little. That's when he noticed the look on her face – a mixture between anger and trying to hide it, and it was directly aimed at Mr Potter. _If looks could kill…_

Hermione just glared at Harry as he zoomed around on his broom, making a list of all the things he could have done with the potion than waste it on a trivial thing. As Ron saved goal after goal, Hermione grew more and more sick – to the point where she couldn't stand to be there anymore. She stormed away from the stands, bringing her scarf around her neck even more tightly against the tight winds. There was no need to stay. She knew how it would end. She could feel the stare of someone, but as she glanced around to see who it was, the feeling was gone, and she made her way back to the castle, cursing Saint Harry James Potter.

Severus watched the display intently. Hermione was more loyal than anyone he had ever known, and this caused him to wonder what the Potter boy had done to earn such a strong reaction. He glanced at the Weasley boy for any hints, seeing as he hung around them a lot. And that's when he noticed. The boy had, apparently, gotten some goal keeping skills. Then it all clicked. Potter cheated. But surely that wasn't enough to make Granger leave; she had after all set his cloak on fire five years ago, which wasn't very fair. He must have done something really stupid to cause such a strong reaction. He watched the game intensely to look out for any other hints of foul play, and was almost disappointed to see that there weren't any. Just Weasley getting the goals, which would be hard to prove wasn't from his own intuition. He didn't have a case. Potter got away with it once again.

When the party was getting underway, Hermione couldn't help but feel disheartened by the whole affair. She knew that Ron could do the job well if he believed in himself more – rather than relying on the job of a potion. And she truly believed that Harry knew better than to waste the potion on a damn game of Quidditch – he could have used it against Voldemort for Christ's sake! So she didn't feel very in the party mood, when the horrid boy in question sidled up to her.

"How's the prefect room?" he asked, but was met with a glare similar to one he had seen Mrs Weasley give on occasion. He then knew what he had to do, and pulled out the small flask from his jean pocket, and Hermione saw that it was still filled to the top. Not a single drop had been spilled.

"…the placebo effect," she whispered, and Harry nodded – glad that he was now out of the firing line. She relaxed a whole lot, knowing that Harry wasn't being an idiot. That's when she looked over and saw Lavender jump Ron. She felt Harry stiffen beside her, knowing he had seen it too. As she looked at the innocent young couple, she suddenly realised everything she was going to miss out on by being in the arrangement with Severus. She found it very difficult to breathe, and so made her excuses and left.

She sat on the cold stone steps, practising her charms. She took comfort in all the things that were being flung wildly out of control – she could at least control the small birds now flying above her head. She stared at them for a while – admiring the fact that they were free. She felt somewhat jealous. She knew in her heart that had she not been forced to, she wouldn't be married, or defending the entire wizarding world against one man. She heard soft footsteps behind her, and saw Harry approaching – looking as sad as she felt. "Hey Harry,"

"Hey," He said, quickly trying to remove tears as he sat down beside Hermione. They both sat in the comfortable silence, each content to let the other have some thinking space. Their silence was soon interrupted by the sound of two giggling teenage idiots. Then they emerged, and Ron and Lavender only looked mildly embarrassed as they realised they were not alone. Hermione quickly analysed the situation, and saw the look of both joy and sheer disappointment on Harry's face. She worked it out quickly and sent the birds straight for Ron – and they were looking savage as they raced towards his ginger head. As Ron was trying to back away from the birds back into the corridor he came from, Hermione saw Harry's face. It was a look that agreed with the punishment that had been delivered. It would have been perfect – had Ron not bumped into a wall of black.

"Mr Weasley, what do you think you're doing?" the familiar drawl sounded. Everyone's eyes bulged, certain that they were in trouble. Severus agreed with them, but took in time to analyse the situation in front of him. A Weasley looking red faced, a Brown looking Embarrassed, a Potter looking ashamed and a Granger looking pleased with herself. It was a recipe for disaster. "Four Gryffindors. Out of bed. After hours. 120 points from Gryffindor," he said, and was greeted with moans. "Now, everyone back to your _separate_," He said, glaring at Weasley and Brown, "rooms, or there really will be trouble."

Ron and Lavender set off for the Gryffindor tower, but Harry and Hermione stayed put. Hermione, because she didn't really know where her room was, and Harry because he was going to accompany Hermione to her rooms. That boy really did have his emotions spread all over his face. "Mr Potter, _I_ will ensure that Miss Granger gets to her room in one piece. Now leave," he drawled out. He soon left at that, giving Hermione a sympathetic look. Once he made sure the boy was out of sight, Severus held out his arm, "Shall we?" he asked, and Hermione shyly looped her arm through his.

He led her to a door, which would have otherwise looked completely ordinary. He opened it, and it was the same size as a small cupboard, with a small table holding up a fake rose. "That, Gr-Hermione, is a Portkey. It is special, however, as it will only respond to your touch, as well as mine," He said, making sure the girl was taking it all in. "And this room is enchanted. If anyone else beside you, me and other members of staff, should walk in, they will simply see a normal bedroom, get bored and leave." He was quite pleased with the concept – after all, he had come up with it. Hermione just nodded, taking in the information and saving it under 'Important'. They then both held onto the rose, and were hoisted towards their destination.

She found herself no longer holding onto the man when she came to. She found herself in a darkened room, lit only by the fire which was burning vigoursly. In the dark room, she could only make out a small sofa, and off to the right of the door, to what must have been the rest of the castle, was a desk littered with parchment and other things. She had never seen something so disorganised – and she had seen Ron's room. The rest of the room seemed to be made up of ridiculously tall bookcases – filled to the brim with books. Thick tomes covered every inch of the bookcases, and Hermione found herself not wanting to wait for the opportunity to unlock the knowledge contained within them. A small cough brought her attention to the dark man in the middle of the room.

"Ah good, you do have ears. Splendid," he said. "Now for the abridged tour, through that door," he continued, pointing to a door to the right of the desk "Is a bathroom. Through that door" he said, whilst pointing to a door to the right of the fireplace, "Is our next destination," he said, an almost smile playing out on his lips.

He took Hermione's hand, and led her through to the other room, and allowed her a moment or two to take in what she saw in front of her. The room wasn't quite as bright as the room this morning, but it wasn't as dark as the living room either. A medium blue tinted the walls, making seem much more home-like than the rest of the castle. A chest of drawers and a wardrobe in mahogany were in the corner of the room, keeping in with the theme of the room. But then her attention was brought to the big four poster bed in the middle of the room, mahogany frame as well, which in that moment looked so tempting. Two small bedside table stood by it, and the curtains for the bed matched the wall paint so well. The bed covers were that same blue as well, but had small silver stripes going vertically up it, and the pillows matched. Then her attention was brought to the massive window. It gave a view of the grounds, with a small portion of the lake as well. She knew it wasn't possible for this view to be real, but it was beautiful all the same. And it looked so lifelike, even capturing the climate outside. She then yawned, the day finally taking its toll on her.

"My sentiments exactly, Hermione, shall we?" he asked. Hermione then quickly got changed into a comfortable nightdress, and slid under the covers. Severus changed into only pyjama bottoms, and crawled into the other side, and watched her back slowly rise and fall. When he thought she was asleep, he slid closer to her and softly stroked the hair away from her face. He could hardly believe that this beautiful creature was now his. He was shocked as her hand rose, clasped his and brought it to her stomach, allowing him to pull her closer to him, as they eased into a deep sleep.


	12. Chapter 12 Hurdles

Severus woke up in the middle of the night to the familiar pins in his body. He winced as he delicately removed himself from Hermione's side, and instantly wished he could go back. But the call of the Dark Lord must never be ignored – many people had died learning that lesson. As he put the cloak and mask on, he looked back to the young girl in the bed, and felt a pull towards her, and with a heavy heart he went to the fireplace and transported himself to the meeting place.

He arrived there, and was immediately under the glare of the Dark Lord, and he felt the familiar rise of hatred within him, but he also felt something new. The Dark Lord was trying to get into his mind. He was trying more viciously than he had ever tried to before, which meant that he had to build up his defences even more than he had ever tried to before.

"Severus, how good of you to join us at last," Voldemort said calmly, too serene for Severus' liking. He just smirked in reply, his concentration being too busy elsewhere to give any other kind of reply. "I was disappointed to not receive an invitation to the nuptials Severus," he continued.

"Yes, well, Dumbledore was there my Lord. I didn't want to raise suspicions. Besides, it was only a marriage to a muggle-born – not a true wedding," Severus repeated the line he had practised so many times in his head. He was still fighting so hard to keep his mind barriers up, and he was worried in case he should waver even for a second.

"Yes…it's a pity you ended up with one of _them_," he spat. Moments of silence passed between them, as they both were considering the silent war between them. Then, the Dark Lord spoke again. "Severus, we were talking," he started, stroking Nagini sinisterly, "and we thought even further how your…arrangement could benefit us."

Severus froze and hair stood up at the back of his neck. Whenever it came to the man in front of him and making plans, he always hated them. The Dark Lord smiled, and continued "what if there was some way to incapacitate the girl - without raising suspicions?" Severus kept his composed face, whilst maintaining his defences and keeping eye contact with his nemesis. "We were considering all the ways, and then it came to us. It's simple really." Severus liked the sound of this less and less – and he knew that he would protect Hermione at all costs. "Get her pregnant. She'll be too busy being pregnant and having a baby to help the boy. Victory will be ours."

Severus kept his mask on, maintaining the shields. "But, My Lord, I would never want to make my child suffer with having a mudblood for a mother," he tried to say convincingly, but was struggling to.

"Severus…I thought you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of the wizarding world," he replied, challenge apparent in his eyes.

"Myself? Gladly my lord, but my children? Never, I want them to be raised without the poison that exists in this world," Severus continued, hardly believing the challenge that he was making to the Dark Lord – but he meant every word of it. Voldemort rose out of his seat, and stood nearly nose to nose with Severus, still looking down at him.

"Severus, you have defied me once. Do not do it again," Voldemort stated, nearly spitting every syllable. Severus still kept his mask on. "You will brew potions Severus. You will get her pregnant, or you will suffer the same fate as your precious Lily," he continued. "You may go now."

Severus turned, and left, feeling himself weaken every step he took through the sheer effort of making sure the Dark lord didn't penetrate his mind. With every step he took, the full horror of what he was being asked to do also fully sank in, and only one thing crossed his mind. _Over my dead body_.

Hermione woke up to a loud thump coming from the living room. Noting the empty space beside her, she leaped out of bed and went to help her husband. He had collapsed on the floor, and therefore she couldn't move him very far, and so she just managed to get him onto the sofa in front of the fireplace. She then removed his mask, and grabbed a blanket from the bedroom, and placed it over him, checking for other injuries. When she was satisfied he hadn't sustained any other injuries, Hermione just looked at the man in front of her. He looked so peaceful, and she couldn't believe that he was so mean to nearly everyone she knew. She gently brushed a lock of hair from out of his face, and went into the bedroom to change for the day.

She returned to the room, and she stopped when she saw Severus still sleeping soundly. There was just something heart-warming about the scene in front of her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She took out a random book from one of the bookshelves, and leaned against it, and stayed with Severus, checking every once in a while to make sure he was still alright. She saw his tired looking face, and knew that she would do anything to save him from any further danger. He looked like he had seen enough.

Severus began to wake up, and felt disorientated – he was certain he had landed on the floor – not the sofa. He looked around, searching for an explanation, and his eyes settled on the girl with a book balancing on her knees, sitting on the ground facing him. She was so engrossed in the book, and he was immediately taken back to a time where he could be seen doing the same thing. He found it particularly endearing. She looked up and made eye contact with him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now Hermione. I was just a bit overwhelmed," he said automatically, though afterwards he wasn't sure why he was offering the girl an explanation. Maybe to get rid of that look of worry from her face, but why should he care about that? But it was replaced quickly with a questioning look, as Hermione got up and placed the back of her hand on his forehead, checking for a temperature, and he felt odd for being checked on by someone other than Madame Pomfrey.

"What was overwhelming?" she asked soothingly, as she looked across his face with concern. If it weren't for those damned eyes, he would have swatted the girl away and insulted her or something. But those brown eyes in front of him, which looked sweet like honey, meant that he was losing his power to hold fear over her. And he found himself liking that fact.

"The Dark Lord was relentless is trying to penetrate my mind. It just took it out of me to keep the defence up," he replied. Then he remembered what Voldemort was wanting him to do – and he needed to see Dumbledore. But when he tried to get up, his muscles felt too weak to support himself, and so he just fell back into the sofa. He would need more rest. It was lucky he had someone who could help him right now. He took Hermione's hand in his own and said "Hermione, go get Dumbledore, and then go be with your friends. I need to discuss what happened at the meeting today."

Hermione didn't know whether to feel insulted, at being left out of something which was clearly important, or honoured that he was relying on her for help. Either way, she nodded, and left the room via the Portkey. She then raced out of the cupboard and went straight for the gargoyle, murmuring the password, and burst into his room.

"Professor – its Severus. He's returned from a meeting, and he wishes to discuss it with you," Hermione started, feeling out of breath with the urgency of getting here.

"Alright then Miss Granger…where is he?" he said, looking behind the girl as though he was right behind her. Hermione just pressed on, not sure if Severus would be awake for much longer.

"He's…He's in his room sir. _He_ overwhelmed Severus; he's exhausted, but conscious," she elaborated, feeling uneasy under Dumbledore's stare.

"Ok Miss Granger. I take it he wishes to discuss this alone?" he continued, seeming lost in his thoughts as he approached the door. Hermione nodded, still feeling the sting of being left out. "Thank you for letting me know," he said, passing Hermione. "Have a lovely Sunday," he said, a twinkle in his eye as he left the office calmly. Hermione just looked at him as he left; hardly believing she had had that interaction with the old man. But she always felt a bit mystified after interacting with him. She then left the office and went to the Gryffindor common room. She spent that afternoon studying by the fireplace, but every once in a while she would stop and wonder if Severus was ok, but then she would look at her ring and remember, that he had suffered worse, this was probably a walk in the park for him. At ease, she would read on in her textbooks, feeling the safety she felt whenever she looked at Severus.

Severus waited anxiously for the old man to arrive. He knew that Hermione would do as she was told, but he just didn't feel right having to ask her to do it. He felt like an invalid, and he hated that feeling. He was also nervous about how to word what the Dark Lord had asked of him, and he slightly regretted not having Hermione stay as it concerned her. But the last thing he needed at that moment was some kind of emotion fuelled fit from the girl. At least not before he could find a way to counter act it.

He heard the familiar knock at the door and shouted for the man to come in. The other man seemed to glide in, and pulled the desk chair over so he could sit in front of Severus.

"I'll tell you something Severus, she seems to be growing fond of you," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling over the glasses. Severus just looked questionably back at him, as though he had just told him a joke he didn't understand. "She practically ran in, out of breath, and asked for my presence. She looked concerned, and referred to you as 'Severus'" he continued, a smile close to appearing over his lips. Severus just shook his head. The girl was forced to marry him, surely there couldn't be anything like the old man was suggesting.

"Albus, don't make something out of nothing. I'm twice her age, she'll never look at me like that," Severus elaborated. It was something he felt every time he looked at the girl, that feeling of inadequacy.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Severus. The tides are changing. What happened at the meeting?" he inquired, revelling in the objection look that appeared in Severus' eyes briefly before getting to the matters at hand. He explained it all to Dumbledore, how from the moment he had entered the room, he had been forced to maintain an incredibly strong mental shield up, to the main issue at hand – the pregnancy that Voldemort was wanting. Severus repeated what had happened, and when he was finished, he watched as Dumbledore leaned back in the desk chair deliberating what to do about the situation.

"What shall we do Albus? She's too young for this," Severus stated. Albus just looked at him, considering his words.

"How long will it take to make the potions he wants?"

"A week, maybe two if I dawdle."

"Then make them. You must be seen to be going along with this plan, take as long as possible. We shall need to discuss the situation with Miss Granger of course, but assuming she will not want to do this…we shall need to orchestrate an event which means they cannot be used," he said calmly. Severus nodded at this. He had expected such a response, but it was always good to hear that his ideas were actually good. "If he plans to target Miss Granger however…this could prove troublesome for the effort." He said, and with that he dramatically left the room, lost in thought.

Severus sighed with disbelief. Whenever Dumbledore said anything about 'the effort', he really meant 'for Potter'. Always about that one boy. Severus sometimes wished that Dumbledore would consider the wider picture than just him. But then again, Dumbledore was a strong believer in the prophecy. He then looked into the flames of the fire place, watching them dance, and he thought to the Granger girl. As he slowly slipped into the unconscious, he considered Dumbledore's words, and he came to a frightening conclusion. He was starting to get a slight infatuation with the young girl.

As Hermione sat down to dinner in the Great Hall, she automatically looked up towards the teachers table, and saw Severus' seat empty. Her heart sank, and she found that she had lost her appetite, instead felt worry and concern. She played with the food on her plate, as she played the earlier scene with the professor over and over in her mind, had she missed something important? Would she have to help him get to the hospital wing? She felt that someone was staring at her, and looked around and locked eyes with her headmaster. He looked as though he had lost his jovial spirit, instead he looked worried at the girl. The meeting with Voldemort must be something troubling then, as she made her excuses and left the table for her faux bedroom.

When she arrived back in the potion masters living room, she saw that Severus was conscious and sitting up on the sofa, though he hadn't moved much from there. He looked confused at this as he was staring into the fireplace in front of him, and Hermione knew he couldn't move much further.

"Severus? Are you ok?"

"I…I need…bed…" he said, his eyes slurring together slightly as he tried to keep his eyes open. Hermione understood, and helped him towards the bedroom, and helped him change into his pyjamas before helping him into bed and pulling the blankets up around him. She then sat beside him on the bed, and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Shall I get Madame Pomfrey?" she said, noting he seemed to be a bit more alert now.

"No no. I just need rest, Hermione, I'll be fine tomorrow," he said, a small smile on his face as he registered the soothing feeling of getting his hair brushed out of his face. Then pain crossed his face, which Hermione didn't like to see. "I'm so sorry Hermione," he mumbled.

"What for?" she said, sure it was going to be for something silly, like being a mean teacher. She understood that he needed to maintain that persona.

"For making you be stuck with me. You deserve so much more, more than that Weasley boy as well," he continued, his eyelids beginning to droop. Hermione froze slightly. Her infatuation with Ron seemed to be a lifetime ago – and it meant nothing to her. Hermione wasn't silly, and she knew that she had developed feelings for her husband – however outrageous that may be. She just looked at him, and couldn't understand how he felt guilty for becoming hers. She had always felt she was interrupting _his_ life.

"Don't be silly Severus, I'm not 'stuck' with you, it's a privilege to be known as your wife. It's more a shame you're stuck with me if we're being honest," she offered, a smile playing across her lips as she realised how true the statement was. Then she realised that Severus was breathing heavily again, and almost laughed at the situation. She then changed into her nightdress, guessing she wasn't leaving the room again for the night, and took a text book and sat on the bed beside Severus, back against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of her. She studied quietly, the heavy breathing coming from beside her soothing as she read. When it was getting late, she tried to continue watch over the man, but couldn't keep her eyes open anymore, and fell asleep still holding the book in her hands.

Severus woke up in the middle of the night, still feeling incredibly groggy, but when he looked over and saw Hermione asleep sitting up, holding the book, he felt a burst of energy. He gently removed the book from her hands, summoning a bookmark, and put it down on his bedside table. He then slowly pulled her down on top of him, pulling the blanket around the both of them, and then breathed in that scent that he had sensed that first night she helped him. He felt calm, and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm not 'stuck' with you Hermione. Never will be," he whispered into her hair, sleep gripping him once more as the moon continued to shine over the Hogwarts grounds.


	13. Chapter 13 Complications

Monday morning arrived over Hogwarts, and with that reigned in a new week. Students rose out of their beds reluctantly, groggily getting ready. Teachers did the same thing, with s slight bounce in their step, as they were ready to influence their pupils into the young citizens they would one day become. Severus and Hermione were disturbed by the alarm clock going off from Severus' watch. He was immediately ready, and tore himself away from Hermione, and started to get ready when he was surprised to see that she hadn't moved an inch. He chuckled to himself, and just shook his head at the teenager.

"Come on Hermione, it's time to get up," he said to the statue in the bed.

"No. It's too early," she mumbled into the pillow, turning away from the offending person. Said person then smiled, leaned over and snatched the blankets away from her. She then opened her eyes, and gave an evil look to the grinning Severus, who was still holding the blankets in his arms. He had never seen a more perfect sight than the ruffled Hermione still trying to keep up the façade of being able to go back to sleep. "I'm never going to forgive you for this," she said, shaking her head at the man who had taken her warmth away.

"Oh really?" Severus started, his smile turning more mischievous. He dropped the blankets and approached Hermione on the bed, and joined her on it, all the time she was nodding whilst trying to keep a smile off of her face. "And I presume there is absolutely nothing I can do to earn your forgiveness?" he continued, bringing his face closer to the girl, to be met with a shaking of the head. He then knew what to do. "Not even if I did this?" he said, before bringing his head down and began kissing her neck, remembering how she had loved it that night. She immediately gasped at the contact, though she was still shaking her head. "Oh? Well how about this?" he said silkily, moving his hand up the girl's thigh, making her sigh contently. She just looked into those deep eyes as she felt his hand move up, and gripped around his neck, pulling him closer. She noticed how much darker his already dark eyes were becoming, and leaned to the side of his neck and started kissing him there. He was lost in the moment, before he realised what she was doing, and jerked away from her, running to the bathroom. Sure enough, as he looked into the mirror, he saw the circle of purple-ish red begin to appear. That girl had given him a love bite. He just stared at it in disbelief.

Hermione had smiled mischievously as he ran from the room, pleased with her handiwork. She reconsidered her actions however, when she realised that she was missing his touch. However, she just smirked whenever she thought about the bite she had given. She then got up, and got ready in her school uniform and robes, making sure she looked presentable. She hadn't heard him sneak up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. He leaned into her neck, and began kissing it, and Hermione nearly gave into the sensation. Then she realised what he was trying to do, and moved his arms away, before rubbing at her neck – knowing that he had given her a bite back. She scowled at the grinning man, who just simply said "I was returning the favour."

She just shook her head at him, turning away from him and leaving the room whilst he got ready in his billowing cloaks. She began to wonder how she was going to hide it, grabbing her make up bag and putting concealer and foundation on the mark that was slowly appearing. As she looked into the mirror, trying to cover it up, she just couldn't believe how the events of the past few weeks had changed her life so dramatically. And she smiled, knowing that it was the best choice she had ever made.

Severus was just finishing buttoning up as he thought back to what he had just done to Hermione. _Served her right_ he thought, smirking whilst doing up the last button on his high neck shirt. He smiled as he thought of how she had tried to make him embarrassed. _Silly girl_ he thought, knowing that the bite was fully covered by the shirt, knowing that other people would be able to see hers no matter how much make up she put on it. When he was finished getting ready, he went into the living room, to find an irritated Hermione, almost tapping her foot whilst giving him a look that meant she wasn't happy. He just smirked back.

"It's not my fault if you don't wear high necks," he said to the girl. She couldn't help but smile at that. She then seemed to automatically lean up to give him a kiss on the cheek, before reaching for the Port Key to take her back to her fake room. He felt his heart soar when she gave him that quick peck, absent-mindedly touching the spot she had affected, before putting on the 'mean guy' mask and exiting his rooms.

Hermione sat down with her friends in the Great Hall, and began having her breakfast as normal, and when she casually looked up and was met by many pairs of bulging eyes. She began to feel self-conscious about herself, before asking "What?"

"Hermione, why have you got a love bite on your neck?" Harry began, drawing everyone in the groups attention to the slightly masked purple spot on the girl's neck. She began blushing, as she tried to think of a plausible excuse.

"God's sake Harry, it's not a love bite – who would I have got it from?" she said, to try and buy herself some time to gather a good explanation. The question caused Harry to pause for a bit before shrugging his shoulders. "I was practising a spell, and I didn't expect it to bounce off the mirror, and it hit my neck," she offered, with a smiled, pleased with her explanation. Everyone moaned with understanding before getting back to the conversations. This allowed Hermione to look up at the head table, where she saw Severus looking absently into space. He then locked eyes with her, and she saw his eyes soften slightly. She smiled, and then looked across the rest of the table. She was startled to see Dumbledore still look at her with the same intensity as he had the evening before. Hermione wondered what it was that was worrying him, but returned to the group's discussion, knowing that if she was meant to know she would certainly find out.

* * *

The rest of the week seemed to pass along with the same degrees of dullness that they usually did. Hermione had to deal with the added ordeal of the 'Slug Club', which she hated being a part of, but she had to be there to support Harry, who also hated going along to the deathly dull meals. She found herself looking forward to the evenings and mornings she had, as Severus was beginning to chat with her as though she was a normal person. She could tell that he was holding back some information – but she didn't mind too much. There were many years to know the man's secrets, and besides she had some secrets of her own that she didn't want to share with him just yet.

Severus was beginning to allow himself for feelings for the girl to grow. She was the easiest person to talk to he found, as he told her countless stories of when he was younger, and she listened intently, her brown eyes enticing him to tell more. And he normally always did. Though he felt slight guilt at not telling her about Voldemort's plans, he knew that he would tell her when the time was right, but not a single second before then. In the meantime, he used every free period he had away from the blasted students to make as little progress with the potions as possible to still be claimed that he was following the Dark Lord's instructions. He found himself longing for the nights however, as he had never slept more soundly than when he felt Hermione beside him, and felt her arms wrap around him. Every morning before she left for her fake room, she would give him a peck on the cheek, and he found himself loving every second of her company. Every time in class he caught a glance of his handiwork on her neck, he felt a sense of pride rise within him, and knew that he definitely was infatuated with the girl. And what was worse – he didn't mind.

On that Friday, Hermione sat in Potions and felt that there was something different about the day, as she was stirring the cauldron as instructed. It was more than the fact it had been a week since her and Severus got married. It more of a feeling of anticipation – that something was going to happen. After the awkward talk with Slughorn at the beginning to plan his dreadful Christmas Party, she wasn't quite sure what else she was expecting. But she felt herself bracing for bad news anyway.

She was walking into Defence against the Dark Arts when Dumbledore appeared at her side, and asked to see her alone. She quickly glanced at Severus, who was busy shouting at someone else for graffiti in their textbook, and went with the old man, the feeling of anticipation growing.

When they both got to his office, she sat down in one of the chairs opposite Dumbledore's huge desk. Dumbledore sat down, and they both sat in silence for a few minutes, Dumbledore only breaking it to offer Hermione some Sherbet Lemons, which she declined. He then leaned forward, hands clasping together on the desk, and looked at the girl over his glasses, and began "Miss Granger, are you aware of the properties of Phoenix tears?"

"Yes Professor. When used fresh, or after being released from a stasis charm, they are known to heal any wound or illness, and are the only known cure of basilisk venom," she said, repeating from a book she had read a few years ago. "Why professor?"

"Well Miss Granger, I want you to have this," he said, giving her a vial attached to a necklace. The contents looked like water, but it shimmered slightly, highlighting the fact that it is magical. She nodded, accepting it and placing it round her neck. "When the time is right, I want you to use it," he said, his eyes twinkling at the girl.

"Miss Granger, has Severus told you about the meeting with Voldemort?" he queried, not sure how to proceed.

"No sir, but I'm sure that's for a good reason," she answered, smiling as she always did whenever she thought about him. Dumbledore just looked confused, and then sighed as he realised _he _would have to explain the situation. _Damn Severus_ he thought to himself.

And the Dumbledore began to explain the situation to Hermione. As he explained the details, he saw the smile she had held for the man fade away. When told about Voldemort's plans to 'incapacitate her', he noticed that she looked positively sick. When he explained the plan to her however, he saw a new expression cross her face. If he wasn't mistaken, it looked a lot like anger.

"Is there something wrong with the plan Miss Granger? Did you want to have children?" he said, shocked as the thought flew across his mind.

"No, not at all. Not right now anyway. But I just wish I could have been there whilst this plan was being discussed," she explained. Dumbledore almost sighed with relief. He then dismissed the girl and settled into his chair for the evening, planning his next lesson with Harry, and of course his trip for over the holidays.

By the time the talk had ended, it was pointless for Hermione to return to class, and she didn't want to. She felt angry with Severus for keeping her out of a plan which directly involved her. She kept cursing the man under her breath. She didn't feel like she could be civil towards anyone at the moment. She felt too betrayed. Instead, she quickly ran down to Severus' room, got changed out of her school robes into normal clothes, before storming out of the castle, and sitting beside the black lake, and cried to herself. _I knew this was all too good to be true_ she thought to herself.

Severus was still behaving normally, unaware of the emotional distress that Hermione was feeling, and paraded down the corridors, his cloak billowing behind him. He knew that something was wrong when he went to the Great Hall for dinner that night, and he didn't see Hermione. He had gotten used to seeing her smile and laugh with her friends, and he had liked to see her so relaxed. So to see her absence disturbed Severus slightly. He waited for fifteen minutes before leaving the room. The only time Hermione had been seen to miss dinner before was when she was upset, and Severus wanted to rectify that. He searched in the library, in the corridors, and the room of requirement before heading down to their private rooms. He was disappointed to see that she wasn't there. When he saw that their bedroom was empty, he began to panic, running out of ideas where she could be. Then he looked into the enchanted window, and saw a girl beside the lake, long light brown curls tumbling down her back. Sighing with relief, he grabbed his outdoor cloak and headed to join the girl.

Hermione was enjoying the quiet flow from the lake in front of her. She thought how quiet it looked, and thought about how busy it actually was underneath the surface. _Like a duck_ she thought. She then heard the quiet steps approaching her, and she instantly knew who it was, and she straightened herself up.

"Hermione, what are you doing out here? It's freezing," the low voice drawled out. Severus was surprised to see that she didn't respond in any way to that. He slowed down when he was standing beside her, and he frowned in confusion. He knew that she must have heard him, and yet… nothing. His concern grew, and he stretched out his hand to gently touch her shoulder, to make sure she was ok, when she flinched and stood up suddenly.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted at the man. Severus just looked confused at the situation. Hermione just couldn't get over the anger she felt towards him in that moment. He tried again, and said her name when doing so, but she just jumped back, the intense look in her eyes deepening. "Didn't you hear me? Don't touch me!" she said. Then her bottom lip began to quiver. "How could you?" she asked, as a single tear began to fall. Severus had no idea what the girl was going on about, and honestly considered the idea that he stepped into a parallel universe. "How could you keep me out of it? It actually concerned me – it's my body! My future!" she said, tears beginning to come thick and fast now. And then Severus understood what had happened. She found out about Voldemort's plan.

"Hermione, I was just getting a plan together, to figure out the next step," Severus said. And for a brief second, he saw a moment of calm cross Hermione's face. But then she shook her head. He took a step towards her, and she took one back from him. Severus felt at a loss at the situation.

"Just answer me this: if Dumbledore had said to follow through with Voldemort's plan – would you have done it?" Hermione asked. Severus was stunned, and speechless. He wanted to say that he wouldn't have, but the words weren't forming in his mouth. Hermione just nodded. "I see. I thought we were making progress – that maybe we could even…But I guess that will never be," she said, growing quieter. "You see, Severus, you can't decide whether to treat me like an equal or a child. And I don't have the time to wait for you to decide," she said, walking away from the man into the castle. Severus felt his heart breaking, and tried to grab her arm as she passed, but she shrugged it off and continued on her path to the castle.

He was left standing beside the lake alone. And for the first time in nearly seventeen years, Severus felt a tear falling down his began the solemn walk back to the castle. When he got to his rooms, he looked around and suddenly missed her presence. That's when he broke down, falling in front of the fireplace and cried about the mess that he had created.


	14. Chapter 14 Heaven's Light

Severus wasn't the only one crying to themself about the situation. Hermione was alone in the room of requirement, surrounded by books, wondering how she could have been so blind as not to see the little progress made by the two of them. She had hoped that maybe she was beginning to see the man behind the cloak. But if he was willing to make such a big decision about their future without her, then surely that proved how little he really thought of her? But then, surely she hadn't imagined all those evenings, where he seemed to really relax in front of her, his eyes glittering as he told his tales from when he was younger. Maybe she should…just…

No! The silence at her question told her everything about him. He was willing to go behind her back and do that. Didn't he realise that she would have spent the rest of her life wondering what she could have differently? That she could have ended up resenting the life she was living because she thought it was a mistake? He had his chance to discuss it with her several times. She knew she was going to have to face him sometime, but as long as that time was very far away, Hermione could at least come up with a battle strategy to help make this marriage what he truly wanted it to be – on paper only. Hermione thought about this as she lay down on the sofa in the makeshift library, her eyelids drooping, giving her eyes a rest from crying.

Severus couldn't sleep that night. He just kept turning over, trying to find a comfortable position. But he just couldn't admit to himself that such a thing no longer existed without Hermione. He just tried to reason with himself, _you have survived without that girl in your bed for 36 years, pull yourself together! _But he had had a taste of the high life, and he was finding it difficult to cope without her. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he missed the warmth of her body beside his, her smell being within close range and her soft curls softly draped over her back. Checking his watch every so often, he wasn't surprised to see as it got closer to dawn. He knew he would be exhausted tomorrow, but he just couldn't get to sleep. He was also haunted by the image of her beside the lake, crying and screaming at him. He knew he had been an idiot, and the next time he saw her he was going to do everything within his power to show her how sorry he was – something he didn't do very often. He finally got up at 7am, knowing there was nothing he could do now but wait in the Great Hall for her to turn up for breakfast.

He took his seat in the empty hall and waited. He saw the hundreds of pupils file in, stuff their faces and leave again, but he couldn't see her. His blood turned to ice when he saw Potter and Weasley file in, eat and leave again without much comment. If Hermione was going to turn up to breakfast it would have been with her friends. Severus got up – without having taken a single bite – and stood guard outside the hall, scanning the hall surrounding him. Maybe she was getting the boys to smuggle food for her. But there was no sign. As student after student walked past him, a look of confusion and fear on their face, Severus became more and more perplexed by the whereabouts of his wife. He began fiddling with his ring whilst thinking of a place where she could be.

Hermione meanwhile sat in the kitchens of Hogwarts eating alone. The house elves continued their business whilst the girl did this, after all she said she was allowed to do it since she was a prefect – who were they to stop her from eating in the kitchens if she wanted. Hermione had sworn them to secrecy about her whereabouts, knowing that he would be looking for every opportunity to single her out and try to talk to her. And she still couldn't face talking to him yet without hitting him. She refused to think on the matter any further and was determined to make the best of her day. Glancing out of the window on the way to the kitchens, she noticed the thick blanket of snow that had appeared, and she had smiled. A trip to Hogsmeade was planned for today, and it was always so nice to go to the village whilst it was snowing – it added to the picturesque scenery. As she finished, she thanked the elves and left to join her friends in the common room, making sure not to bump into the man on the way there.

She walked into the common room and was greeted with the welcomed sight of Harry and Ron arguing about something to do with Quidditch. The small scene of normality calmed her nerves, and she even managed to forget about the fight in that moment, as she went over and declared, for the millionth time, that no one else cares about Quidditch, just so she could become part of the argument and, temporarily, part of the life that she used to claim. Their fake fight didn't last very long, and soon they were heading out of the castle wrapped up warm to combat against the terrible cold that awaited them as they travelled to Hogsmeade. Arm in arm with the two boys, Hermione laughed for the first time in what felt like forever, and it made her be able to bear the bragging that Ron was doing about his true love that he had found in Lavender. The three of them did their shopping around Hogsmeade, and Harry and Hermione visited _Tomes and Scrolls_ whilst Ron did whatever he did with Lavender. Hermione noticed the distinctly saddened look on Harry's face whilst they visited the shop, but didn't know what to say to him.

When the three of them met up again, they started to head to what they considered _their_ pub. It was never a question of whether or not they were going – they always went. Hermione sat at a table in the corner of the room, whilst Ron visited the toilets and Harry ordered the drinks. Hermione just sat quietly in the corner watching the lives of other people unfold in front of her. She noted how everyone seemed so happy at this moment, couples quietly toasting and larger groups noisily prodding fun at each other. It made her grin a little, thinking of how it was less of a grin and more of a slight curl. Then she froze and thought of _him_. She shook her head and put on a big smile, when she saw Harry approaching slowly, trying to balance three mugs of butterbeer in his hand, and laughed when he nearly dropped one. When Ron came back, they tried to continue their afternoon of merriment, but Harry had a concentrated look on his face, which Hermione had grown to dread over the years. After the fourth time of trying to get his attention in response to a question, Hermione finally asked him what he was thinking about.

"Nothing, I just thought I saw Katie looking a bit well…odd," he said. And the matter wasn't discussed any further, as they continued chatting away. As they finished their butterbeer, Hermione said something about needing to do homework, and they all began the journey back to Hogwarts. They were halfway towards the castle, when they saw Katie Bell and her friend Leanne arguing about something, probably something inane like celebrities or something. At least, that's what they thought until they saw Katie rise up, and being stretched as far as she could – her hair even being pulled to its full length. The trio then ran up to the scene, trying to calm Leanne down, whilst thinking of a way to get Katie down, as they saw her face contorting with pain. What happened after that was really a blur to Hermione. She just remembered Hagrid arriving, and carrying Katie to Hogwarts as fast as he could, the others following suit, Leanne holding a small brown package almost as though she was scared of it.

When Hermione came to her sense again, she was standing outside the hospital wing, listening to Harry ramble on about his theory about what happened. Of course, it had something to do with Malfoy. Hermione tried to keep quiet, but the events of the past few days caused her temper to be noticeably shortened. She had had enough of Harry relating every bad thing to Malfoy in whatever convoluted way he could think of. "For goodness sake Harry! Not everything is related to Draco Malfoy!" she shouted at him, being louder than she had intended.

"My sentiments exactly Miss Granger," a low voice said, causing Hermione to stiffen slightly, but not too noticeably. She cursed him mentally as she daren't not turn around and confront the sound. Until she confirmed it with her eyes she could pretend he wasn't there.

"What are you doing here?" Harry said in an exasperated tone.

"Watch your tone Mr Potter. It may have escaped your notice, but what happened to Katie isn't exactly natural. Therefore, we must investigate what happened, and I can help – unlike you with your idiotic theories about other students with little or no evidence," he hissed. The words had meant to sting, but Harry just noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and the tired tone of his voice. Severus just looked at the three teenagers in front of him, disappointed when he couldn't get eye contact with Hermione, and walked into the room. He quickly analysed the situation, and asked to see the package. Carefully unwrapping it, he scanned the opal necklace within, and it was crawling with curses – most of them either to kill or to seriously injure. _Draco…you can't be so obvious_ he thought, whilst maintaining a straight face. He reported back to his colleague, who then went to get Professor Dumbledore, holding the tag to the package close to her. Snape followed her outside, and was met with the sight of the same three teenagers. "Miss Bell will be fine, now you three leave. Now," he said. Hermione practically sprang out of her seat in an eagerness to leave the vicinity, and Ron and Harry began to shuffle off. "Not you Miss Granger. I need to discuss your recent werewolf essay," he said, noting the drop in her shoulders at his refusal to let her go.

Hermione needed to think of something quickly to get out of the situation. Slowly, she turned around to face the fool, drawing all the courage she possibly had, hearing Ron and Harry continue their shuffle away, the murmuring beginning. "Can it not wait till Monday Professor?" she asked, feeling the corridor becoming silent instantly. Harry and Ron couldn't believe her, as they nervously looked at each other and praying silently for her.

"No. It can't. Now come along at once, you silly girl," Snape snarled, causing Hermione to jump slightly as they both headed off towards his classroom. Harry and Ron just breathed a sigh of relief for her, as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. Severus and Hermione walked to his classroom in silence, and Hermione never stopped looking at the ground in front of her as she walked beside him. Severus' nerves were growing as they neared his room. As they entered it, Severus locked the door behind them and cast a silencing spell on the door, ensuring no one would overhear their conversation. He turned around again, to see Hermione leaning on one of the front tables, her head still lowered as she looked at the ground. He sighed, running his hand through his hair, approaching her as he tried to think of a good way to start this. "Hermione I-"

"Save it. There's not much you can do or say that will change things. It's fine. I just didn't realise how much of a fool I was. That I was actually starting to believe…" Hermione said, her words hurried until she thought back to what she wanted to believe, and then the tears began to fall once more.

"Believe what?" the older man questioned, holding his breath. He offered her a tissue, which she refused.

Hermione took a deep breath, wiping away her tears, and looked right into his eyes. She felt herself getting lost in those eyes, feeling the same as she had just a few short days ago. "I was foolish enough to believe that you wanted something more than just an official marriage," she stated, looking away from him as soon as she had finished. "It's fine," she continued, "Now I know what you want…I can accommodate." She then stood up properly, and moved towards the door, murmuring 'alohomora' as she turned the door handle. She tried to open the door, but then she heard the slam as Severus threw his hand over the door above her, pushing it so she couldn't open the door. She turned around to protest at the man, but was just met with his intense stare into her eyes, making her knees grow weak again.

"Where would you get that idea from?" he whispered, causing her to shiver slightly. She tried to focus her mind on the situation, resulting in an elongated silence. She felt him trying to enter her mind, and pressed back slightly, which caused him to leave entirely. "Please…tell me," he murmured to her, his eyes full of worry and concern.

"Well…since you were willing to dictate my actions on such a big decision…you obviously only want something that looks like a marriage…you had so many opportunities to discuss it," she elaborated, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate due to the close proximity. She just kept finding herself wanting to pull him towards her. She nearly gasped when he took her face into her hand, and she tried to look away, but he made sure she was looking at him.

"I swear Hermione I was going to talk about it with you. I just didn't want to discuss it and have no solution. I needed to make sure I had a good solution, hence Dumbledore's opinion. I didn't want you worrying about it during class time, so I was going to discuss it with you last night, but well…that got interrupted," he said, stroking her cheek slightly. He saw her face soften slightly at this and continued on his line of thought. "I would hate nothing more than to just have an 'official' marriage. I apologise deeply for portraying that. I can only hope in time you can forgive me for my actions," he stated, letting go of her cheek and backing away from the door, letting Hermione go.

Hermione just stared at the man. She wanted to scream at him, hit him and tell him where to go all at the same time just 12 short hours ago. But in that moment, when he had backed away and looked at her almost nervously, Hermione knew she could only do one thing. She grabbed the front of his cloak and pulled him towards herself, pressing her lips harshly against his. He froze in shock for a second, before responding warmly. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Hermione willingly got closer to him as he gently pulled. Hermione felt relief, the tension finally letting go as she became more entangled in his embraces, feeling his lips on hers. And she just knew that Severus had to be feeling the same thing. She was surprised, however, when he pulled away from her, and she wanted to tell him to come back. But she barely had time to think as she was hoisted over Severus' shoulder, like he was saving her from a house fire.

"S-S-Severus? What are you doing?" she asked, half nervous and half laughing as she couldn't see where she was going. Severus just felt like a proud huntsman who had caught his prey, as he climbed the stairs to the teacher's office. He just smiled as he held the young girl over his shoulder, and could feel her giggle over him. He used the fireplace to get back to his room, still holding Hermione, who had become powerless. Striding to his room, prize on his shoulder, he gently lowered her onto the bed, and began giving her small kisses to the face, before leaning in close to her ear.

"I'm going to show you how sorry I really am," he said with a smirk as he lowered his head once more.


	15. Chapter 15 Hellfire

"Severus, I should get on with other things," Hermione tried to start, and started to move away from him, only to be met with study hand which kept her there. Severus just gave her a look, before kissing her again, making her wither to his touch. She could hardly breathe with the pressure he was giving her, and she found herself loving every second of it. She tried kissing him back, but he just pulled away from her, and leant in close to her ear.

"We both know you don't mean that," he whispered, making Hermione shiver. Any thoughts she had of leaving his side dissipated. Severus just smirked and gently began kissing her neck again, slowly making his way down. He lifted his head briefly as he quickly undid the buttons and zip of the jeans, and Hermione just let her head roll backwards to take in the sensation. She raised her hips as he managed to take her jeans and her pants off in one swift movement, gasping as the cool air hit her most sensitive areas.

Severus barely gave her anytime to register what was going on before assaulting the girl's area, his tongue gently stroking her nub. He was greeted with moans, and he decided to be a bit more aggressive, rubbing harder and harder. Hermione's ability to think was running away from her as that feeling in the pit of her stomach grew stronger and stronger. Severus could sense how close she was, and decided to be kind and give her what she wanted in that moment, and plunged one of his fingers in, pumping it slowly whilst maintaining his work on her core. Hermione just got lost in the sensations and bucked her hips violently as she finally hit that ecstasy that she had been craving for.

Hermione lay breathless deciding firmly that she had forgiven him. Severus just looked at the girl in front of him, pleased that his handiwork had gotten the girl to this state. He climbed up beside the girl, and gently ran his hand under her top and lay it across her stomach which calmed her down considerably. Hermione then turned to him, and just looked into his eyes. They shared that few minutes quietly, enjoying the brief calm that they felt during this turbulent time. Hermione was the first one to speak.

"I need to go," she said quietly. Immediately Severus looked concerned and racked his mind for anything and everything that he could have done wrong as Hermione got out of their bed and put her pants and jeans back on. Hermione looked back at him, seeing his confusion and smiled at him, before continuing "I'm starving, I haven't eaten since breakfast." She saw him sag with relief at that.

"That reminds me. Where did you go? I was concerned," he asked, beginning to get off the bed as well. Hermione just smiled and tapped the side of her nose. He got up, and gripped softly the tops of her arms. "I mean it. Where were you? Where did you sleep? Where were you at breakfast?"

Hermione wasn't used to seeing him this open with her. She knew that in order for this to work, she would have to be as open as she was expecting him to be. "I stayed in the room of requirement, and had breakfast in the kitchen," she stated, looking deep into those dark eyes that she was growing more and more fond of. He nodded at this new information, keeping it tucked away for future use. He then let go of Hermione completely, and let her leave for dinner. He hadn't eaten that entire day, but he didn't feel the need to go with her. Now that he knew she and they were ok, he just felt the hours of staying up catch up with him, and he collapsed on the bed. He would have drifted off to sleep had he not gotten the pins and needles around his mark.

Hermione glided down the stairs from her fake room, her spirits up in the clouds again. She entered the great hall to be greeted with the concerned look of Harry and Ron, who immediately bombarded her with questions about what Snape had wanted. She easily got past the interrogation and settled in to the first meal she had had in a while. Hermione eased into the routine of listening to her boys talk, whilst rolling her eyes occasionally, unaware of the danger her husband was facing in that moment.

"So Severus. How is the plan going?" Voldemort asked from his throne to his bowed spy, trying as hard as ever to infiltrate his mind. But Severus had built up a resistance and managed to keep him out.

"It's going well My Lord. But I was in the middle of brewing when I thought of something that could hinder us." He answered, his shield going strong. The pale man in front of him just looked at him with a straight face. But Severus knew what this really meant. Voldemort was puzzled. "What if the Granger girl just leaves the baby in my care whilst she goes off with Potter? Then I won't be able to help, and we may have even helped Potter out," Severus said smoothly, after dozens of rehearsals in his head.

Voldemort immediately glared at the weasel-like man in the room, who was already beginning to quiver with fear. "You raise a very good point Severus. It makes me wonder why we didn't think of this before," he said slowly, almost stressing every syllable. Severus almost smiled at the way this was turning out, but managed to keep his defences and his face strong. The Dark Lord just stared into space for a few minutes, contemplating what the next step should be. Severus held his breath, hoping with everything in him that he had managed to save the girl from the fate initially presented. Finally, Voldemort looked at his servant and asked "You've been married to the girl for just over a week Severus, which mean you know her more than I could. Tell me, does she seem like the kind who would abandon her young?"

Severus deliberated the answer carefully, thinking how best to word it. If he were being honest he would shout _Of course not you silly man! She wouldn't abandon her friends, never mind her family!_ But that wouldn't help their situation. So instead, he looked his enemy in the eye and said "She is a clever girl, and clearly wants to help Potter. I feel that if push came to shove, she would do whatever it takes to make sure that her side won – including abandoning her children. She might think that this would inconvenience the Death Eaters and make sure it happens."

The Dark Lord studied the man in front of him, trying to deduce whether he was being truthful or not. In the end, he just said "Then call off the plan. Destroy the bottles. I refuse to put Potter in a place of advantage, and put one of my best death eaters in such a position." Severus nearly sagged with relief, but he remembered who he was talking to, and just nodded instead. A few moments of silence ensued, before Voldemort said "You may leave now. I have some punishments to deal with," stroking Nagini who had appeared to just wake up. Pettigrew just began to shake rather violently. Severus would have felt sorry for him, if he had not turned in Lily Evans to the Dark Lord. Instead, he simply nodded, and left the room, his head held high as he heard the screams coming from behind him.

Hermione returned to their room after chatting with her friends for a while. She looked around the dim room, and saw that blasted table again. She wandered to it, and saw the normal chaos cluttered over it, before she saw them. Two small dark glass bottles, a dark liquid filling them. She picked one of them up and examined it, the small label indicating it was for a girl. She looked at the bottle in her hand with disgust. Hermione then fully gripped her hand around the bottle, and threw it hard against the wall – causing the bottle to shatter, and the liquid to drip down the wall. She did the same with the other bottle, satisfied with her handiwork as she let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding in.

"Well," a low voice sounded from behind her, causing her to gasp and turn around, "that's one way to do it." He removed the mask, noting the blush returning to the girl's cheek. Severus just looked at the scene he had returned to – the young witch red and flustered, potion and glass on the wall and floor, and just sighed. This was going to take some cleaning up. He then just looked at the witch again, and noted how she looked almost nervous.

"Sorry Severus. I j-ju-just saw them there and I couldn't help it. I've ruined your plan haven't I? Oh fuck! He's going to hurt you isn't he? What have I done?" she rambled, getting faster and faster as she was nearing the end of her statements. He then went to the girl, and embraced her, gently stroking her back.

"He asked me to destroy them Hermione. It's fine – I'll be fine," he replied, a smile nearly appearing on his face. He then loosened his grip on her, to see her face, which was looking confused at what he was saying. "I presented a situation to him if he were to continue with the plan, and he agreed it wouldn't be best. So he asked me to stop it." He then stepped away from her and headed towards the door, and looked back to see her questioning. "I haven't eaten for a whole day Hermione – I'm just getting something from the kitchen"

"Can you do that?" Hermione asked, thinking there must be some rule against it. Severus just smirked at her.

"Hermione, I'm both a wizard and a teacher – there's not much I can't do," he stated, before leaving completely. Hermione just blushed at the stupidity of her question, before going into the bedroom, getting into her nightdress, then setting up her homework station on their bed. She was only mildly disturbed when he returned, a plate in his hand, before he settled onto the bed beside her, and took a quick look at what she was doing. "The Siren essay? Tut tut Miss Granger, that's due in four days, I'm surprised you haven't got it done already. And done Mr Weasely's," he said cheekily, before tucking in.

"You're wrong sir," she replied instantly, met with a look of interest. He raised his eyebrows in a questioning way, and she continued "It's not Miss Granger. It's Mrs Snape," a look of confidence on her face as she met his eyes directly. He immediately felt blood hit his nether regions. That definite claim made him forget about how tired and hungry he was. The only hunger he felt was for the woman sitting right beside him. She just turned back to the essay at hand, tucking her hair behind her ear, and Severus just couldn't focus anymore. He silently got up, and put his plate on his table in the living room before returning to the bedroom. Silently making sure he was prepared for what was going to happen, he swept the books and parchment off of the bed, getting the attention of the woman sitting on it.

Any angry thoughts Hermione had were quickly removed when Severus crashed his lips upon hers. He gently took the quill from her and placed it on the bedside table, climbing onto the bed in the process, towering over her. He gently leant forward, making Hermione lie down on the bed. Her head began to swim, wondering what had caused this reaction from in him. But as he gently began to make his way down her neck, she found herself not caring what had caused it. She gripped him around the shoulders, and just couldn't believe what was unfolding in front of her. He gently ran his hand lower and lower down her sides, until he met the hem of her nightdress. Hermione just tried to concentrate on undoing the man's million buttons as he began to slip the nightdress further and further up her body, never stopping the assault on her neck except when they had met the final obstacle. She sat up briefly as he pulled the garment from her, and tossed it onto the floor beside them. She shivered slightly as the cool air hit her exposed body. She then realised she had undone the buttons on his shirt, and helped him take it off, relishing the sight before her. As she gently ran her hands down his chest, heading for his belt, she heard a growl from above her, causing that familiar feeling in her stomach to rise.

As soon as his trousers were off, he gently took her wrists and pinned them above her head. She looked confused at him for only a moment, as he kept her wrists pinned with one hand, and used his other to gently run his hand up her leg, getting closer and closer to the area where she wanted it to be. As his hand edged closer and closer, she tried to lean into his touch, but he only took it away again. And they continued this dance, of him slowly teasing the girl, and her wanted to get as close to him as possible – to no avail. Finally, Hermione couldn't take any more and breathed "Please, Severus."

"Not until you say it," he simply said back, though he wanted nothing more than to thrust into the girl, but he also knew that good things came to those who wait. Hermione just looked at him puzzled, and he continued, still driving the girl to distraction. "What do you want Hermione?" he said, whispering into her ear now, and she had to concentrate so hard on what he was saying. When met with silence, Severus decided to get the reaction he wanted another way, and gently pressed against her core, causing her to gasp.

"I want you to fuck me!" she nearly shouted, desperate for the attention he was clearly depriving of her.

"Good girl, but too little too late," he continued, her nearly whimpering under his touch. "Who do you belong to?" he asked, and she simply shook her head in defiance. She was Hermione Snape – and refused to belong to anyone. Or normally she would be, if he hadn't started circling her nub intently. She was on the way to bliss, when he removed her touch again, causing her to groan loudly. He merely chuckled, leaned I close to her ear and said "Say it,"

"I'm yours," she whimpered, and gasped as he thrust into her. He moaned himself as he felt himself inside her, glad to be in this position once again. Allowing a few brief moments he began to pick up a steady rhythm, and she began to pant beneath him. As he felt himself getting closer to that bliss, he rubbed her area intensely, determined to synchronise with her. He got what he wanted as they came to that glorious conclusion together, as he delicately removed himself from her and collapsed beside her. He registered the girl hugging him close up to him, wrapping his arm around her. The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was the woman beside him whispering "You're so mean sometimes."

Dobby walked down the corridor, quietly humming to himself. Master Snape had arranged for him to come along later and pick up the crockery that would be left. It wasn't often he asked to have dinner alone, but Master Dumbledore had assured all the house elves it would always be for a good reason. He arrived outside the door, and quietly turned the door handle, allowing himself to enter the Master's quarters. Seeing the plate nearly full on the table, he just guessed that he wasn't as hungry as he made out to be. Sighing, he went over and picked up the plate. That's when he heard moaning coming from the room. Instantly recognising what was going on, Dobby quickly tried to leave the room, embarrassed at what he was unknowingly witnessing. As his hand reached out for the door handle, he heard a shout coming from behind him.

"I want you to fuck me!"

Dobby hurriedly left the room. He practically ran back to the kitchens, and began the washing up. When he was nearly done, he nearly dropped the plate as he realised that he recognised that voice.


	16. Chapter 16 Meddling

Dobby marched along to his master's office as fast as his legs could carry him. He had had to put up with a lot of nonsense in the Malfoy household – including Mr Malfoy's many mistresses. But one thing he refused to let slide was one of Harry Potter's best friends getting taken advantage of by a teacher. As he approached the office, he began to doubt himself. Maybe he had just thought he heard something, maybe it was someone else. But Miss Granger had quite a distinctive voice, and as he climbed up the stairs to the office, he realised that he would rather say something and have it turn out to be a false alarm rather than the horrible alternative.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, looking at the object in front of him with wonder, pondering how such a small object could have altered his life in such a way. He heard a timid knock on the door, so quiet it made him wonder if he had really heard anything. That's how he knew exactly who it was. "Come in Dobby!" he shouted, smirking to himself. He always thought that Dobby was like a first year boy on the first day, and that always made him smile. He became concerned, however, when he saw the house elf enter the room with a solemn look on his face. The last time he had seen that he was still under the employment of Mr Malfoy, and so he knew immediately knew that something was incredibly wrong. "Have a seat Dobby. What's wrong?" he said, gesturing to a seat and leaning across the desk at the timid house elf.

Dobby approached the table, but did not sit down, and tried to calm his nerves before speaking. He still had the nasty habit of stuttering if he didn't calm his nerves before speaking. Unable to look Dumbledore in the eye, he focused on the desk and said "Dobby had noticed some disturbing things sir. Things that should not be seen or heard." This grabbed Dumbledore's attention, his eyebrows furrowing as he concentrated on what was being said to him. "Dobby was doing his chores, and he went to pick up Master Snape's plate, as he had picked up dinner earlier, sir. When Dobby went into the room, he heard that he…was not alone. Dobby heard a girl sir. The girl sounded like Miss Granger." Dumbledore leaned back in his seat, sighing with relief, as Dobby looked on horrified.

Dumbledore could see what Dobby was thinking, and was glad that he had come to the rescue of his pupils. He was also relieved that it wasn't anything serious, until he remembered that he hadn't informed the house elves of the situation. He looked into Dobby's face and said "It's ok Dobby. They're married." This did not appear to calm the house elf down any further, and so Dumbledore explained why they had gotten married, Dobby getting more and more calm as he explained. After explaining, he apologised for the events and sent Dobby on his way. Before the elf had reached the door thought, Dumbledore spoke again, "Oh, and Dobby? This is to be kept a secret. Not a soul. Not even Mr Potter." Dobby just nodded and left. He knew when he should be silent, and he was in no hurry to discuss what he had heard to anyone else anytime soon. As long as there were no pupils in danger, he was satisfied.

Dumbledore sat back in his office, staring into the fireplace, listening to Fawkes, and he smiled a little. The girl was making Severus happy, that he was certain, and the recent evidence suggested that he was doing the same for her. His real plan was coming along together nicely. He would need to have a word with the two about their…volume, but other than that, he couldn't be happier for the couple. He felt himself drift off in the chair and he relaxed, knowing that the war they were desperate to end would be soon enough.

* * *

Severus felt the sun in his eyes, and that's when he knew he had to wake up. He opened his eyes, and saw the early morning outside on the lake. He felt like he couldn't stay in bed any longer, and tried to get up, only to be side tracked by Hermione quietly moaning "No."

"No?" he replied, his classroom tone setting in.

"No. It's too early." Severus smiled at that, nearly laughing. He then just continued to disentangle himself from her and got up, to be replied with by further moaning and groaning. When he fully got up and started getting ready for the day, he just heard the girl quietly moan "Now I'm cold."

He just leaned across to her in the bed, and gently kissed her hair and murmured cheekily into her hair "I'm so sorry, your majesty, but some of us have things to do today." Hermione only replied by opening one eye and giving him an evil look. However, it was difficult to take the look seriously as she was smiling. She then rolled onto the other side, blocking his view of her. _Teenager, always sleeping in_ he thought to himself. Severus then stiffened slightly, guilt washing over him like a tidal wave. Putting the final pieces together, he thought to himself how he hadn't taken advantage of her – she was a willing participant. But the thought was there at the back of his mind, along with the other things he would rather not think about. As he went to monitor breakfast in the great hall, he couldn't help but think it over and over in his brain – no matter how much he didn't want to. Wasn't it wrong for a 16 year old to have an affair with their teacher? Based purely on age it wasn't against the law, but it was still wrong and prosecuted for. What was the big difference, just because it was required and therefore accepted by the majority? Wasn't the same basic principle being broken?

Snape was analysing this, when he entered the great hall and sat down in his normal seat. Breakfast went as normal, though there was no appearance from Hermione – but he assumed that was because she was still in bed. He went into a daydream about the age difference, considering the moral dilemma about it, and was only brought out of it when Dumbledore walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I need to have a word with you Severus."

Hermione lay in bed, missing the warmth that had just walked out of the door, contemplating how at peace she felt now she had destroyed the bottles. She wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of someone spiking anything she ate or drank, and this made her at ease. After coming to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up and put on a dressing gown, knowing she had little chance of making it to breakfast. Instead, she went into the living room and saw the mess she had created the night before. She walked over and began to delicately pick up the biggest shards of glass, and tried to find a bin to put them in – the only one she could find being in the bathroom. When she got out of the bathroom, she jumped about a foot in the air when she saw Professor McGonagall. "Professor! Sorry, you gave me a fright," she said, a small smile appearing on her face.

Minerva just kept a stern face as she looked at the girl. "Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to you Miss Granger. I suggest you put some clothes on."

Severus felt like a scolded school boy as he followed Dumbledore down the familiar corridor to his office. He then tried to remember everything that had happened during the meeting yesterday – certain that that was entirely he wanted to talk about, though he normally waited until Severus came to him. But maybe he just sensed that he had a meeting. As he entered the office, he saw Minerva and a slightly embarrassed looking Hermione, who had clearly gotten dressed in a hurry. That's when confusion fully settled in, his brows furrowing at the sight in front of him. Hermione turned around, a look of confusion spreading to her face when she saw the two people enter the room. "Thank you Minerva, I can handle it from here," Dumbledore said, a stern faced Minerva looking back at him.

"It concerns one of my pupils Albus, I think I should-" she started, only to be met with the glare of Albus. She then adjusted her robes and left the room, jabbing Severus in the shoulder as she passed, and whispered "Don't think I won't be having a chat with you later Severus."

"Please, have a seat Severus," Albus then began, and the other man did as he was told, glancing at the girl beside him, who couldn't look at him and instead looked at the desk in front of her. The old man then clasped his hand together, taking a deep breath whilst thinking how best to word what he wanted to say. The two subjects in front of him squirmed uncomfortably in their seats as he thought about it. Finally, he just decided to go for it and started "Miss…Mrs….Miss…"

"Mrs Snape," Hermione interjected, knowing the difficulty he was having. Severus' head jerked to his right at this, and looked at the creature in front of him, a sense of pride swelling in his chest and he wanted nothing more than to hold her and claim her again. He only just managed to restrain himself as Dumbledore nodded and tried to continue on in his speech.

"Mrs Snape, Severus…I had a visit earlier from a distressed house elf, as he tried to save a pupil from danger based on things he experienced last night," he spoke, and he watched their faces. Hermione's stayed confused as she found it difficult to see what that had to do with them. Severus had a moment of confusion, before a look of horror and realisation set in his face.

"Sorry Professor, but I don't see what that has to do with either myself or Professor Snape," Hermione replied, to be met with looks of further embarrassment from the teachers in front of her. But she couldn't understand why they were behaving this way. She wasn't the pupil in danger and she wasn't sure how she could help anyone who was – she already had so much to deal with. Dumbledore and Snape just glanced awkwardly at each other, determining how to deal with it.

Severus just took a deep breath. Unable to look directly at his wife, he settled for the bit of table in front of her. "Hermione, remember how I had dinner in our room last night? Well, house elves come and take the remainder away and sort it out. Therefore, it might be possible that…" he trailed off, taking small looks at Hermione as her face went from confusion to understanding in a matter of seconds. Her eyes widened, and she hid her reddened face behind her hand. She couldn't tell what was more embarrassing: the fact that a house elf had overheard them, or the fact that Dumbledore now knew about it.

"Now that we understand the situation, I must ask that you do not let this happen again. I managed to get this elf to keep it a secret. I cannot be so certain of the rest," he said solemnly, unable to look at either of them in that moment. Severus looked as though he was keeping his composure, if only a little colour added to his cheeks, but on the inside he was cringing like he had never cringed before. He just stared right into the table as the awkward silence filled the room. "You are dismissed." As both of the Snapes got up, he continued "Not you Severus. I still have things to discuss with you," and he sadly sat down again, as Hermione practically fled from the room with embarrassment.

"I told you the tides were changing Severus," Albus said, the familiar twinkle back in his eye. Severus could only press his lips together into a small line in response. "I only ask that you be cautious. Don't let her fall too far too fast Severus. You must remember what she has to deal with this year."

"With all respect, Albus, what goes on in my marriage bed is between me and my wife," he replied, a hard glint in his eye as he felt he was being scolded.

"Of course, Severus. I only say it because I worry about both of you. I know how…involved you can get," Albus started. He looked at Severus and saw anger in his eyes. Anger he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hermione is nothing like Lily, Albus, nothing. Lily will always be a part of my life, but she never truly cared for me! She wouldn't help me to the hospital wing, alert you if I were ill or look after me if I were ill! What I thought was love for her was merely an infatuation – flamed by the fact she didn't want me back. I – I-" Snape ranted, nearly spitting the words at the man in front of him. He only stopped to think about what he wanted to say next. He knew it was too soon for love, but that wasn't how he felt. But he wasn't about to let that on. "I deeply care for Hermione, and I will always put her needs and wants before mine, or that blasted Potter boy. Can you say the same?" he finally stated, getting up and leaving the room, his cloak following his dramatic exit.

When Dumbledore was sure that Severus was out of earshot, he smiled widely and leant back in his chair. His plan was definitely working, the evidence played out right in front of his eyes. He sighed in relief at this progress he had seen in front of him. Because he now knew that Hermione Snape nee Granger had given his most valuable ally something he would never be able to give. Passion.


	17. Chapter 17 Discussions

Hermione just shortly and sharply made her way back to their room, unable to look at anyone as she went. A house elf had heard her and Severus have sex. Dumbledore now knew that they had had sex. Could things get much worse on the embarrassment scale? Oh wait. Don't forget. McGonagall now knew that she had had sex. Hermione just slammed the door to her fake room, determined to keep the world out. She then ended up in their room, and could feel herself begin to die with embarrassment. She sat on the sofa for a while, thinking things over. She often found that this calmed her down the best, and it didn't fail her this time as she calmed down enormously. As soon as she felt her temperature return to normal, she got out the siren essay she had been interrupted doing yesterday and continued it in the light of the fire.

Meanwhile, Severus was lurking in the corridors, both catching students out and thinking about what had just happened in the office. Reflecting, he knew that he had not said one word of a lie. He just hadn't realised how strongly he felt about the situation. He couldn't shake Dumbledore's words, however, and they kept coming to the forefront of his mind. _I know how involved you can get_. Severus snorted at that, like there were degrees of how involved someone can get. In his eyes, you were either in or out of a relationship, not slightly in or out. But was what he and Hermione had a relationship? Sure, they had an arrangement, and were married. But were they what could be considered in a relationship? This was causing him to begin to stress, a headache emerging. Rubbing his forehead slightly, he decided that he needed a lie down, and made his way down to their room, docking at least a hundred points across the four houses on the way.

When he opened the door to their room, he was met with the sight of his wife working quietly on the sofa, looking elegant and regal and…just gorgeous. _Don't let her fall too far too fast_ crept to the front of his mind. Never mind her, what if he had fallen too far too fast? Was there anyone to protect him? He closed the door behind him, and she turned her head and smiled meekly at him. That's when he realised there was something wrong with this picture. "Why aren't you working at the desk?" he asked, gesturing towards it.

She replied at first with a small giggle. "Have you seen it Severus? It's a mess, and I'm not gonna sort it out," she said, and Severus just looked at her incredulously. _Didn't seem to mind messing with my things in first year_ he thought. She just gave him an innocent look and elaborated, "Really, I wouldn't want to root around and find out something that I ought not to know."

He knew she had meant it, and was somewhat grateful to the girl for respecting his stuff. His old cloak couldn't say the same, but at least she had learnt her lesson. It was in that moment that he realised that his headache had gone away. "It's a Sunday afternoon, shouldn't you be with your friends?" he said, realising it came out meaner than how he wanted it to come out. Hermione just gave him a curt smile in retaliation.

"They're all busy. Ron's with Lavender, Ginny's with Dean, and Harry's busy buying dress robes for next Saturday," she replied. He just nodded. When she was about to turn back to her essay, he knew he would have to ask.

"What's happening next Saturday?"

"Slughorn's Christmas party. It's bound to be dreadful, but there's no way that either him or I can get out of it," she replied. He just stared at her for a moment, but it was enough to spur her on to explain why she didn't want to go. "I just hate the fact I'm gonna have to ask someone to go. I was going to ask Ron, since he the only one out of us who couldn't go, but he won't want to go without Lavender, and frankly I don't want to hear about her for an entire evening. But it does leave me the problem of finding someone to go with," she said sadly before turning back to the essay in front of her.

Severus thought about it. He remembered being asked to chaperone the event by Slughorn, and begrudgingly agreeing to do it, but the task took on an entirely new meaning if it meant he would have to watch Hermione dancing with someone else, or even worse flirt with someone else. He suddenly felt a little ill, and he knew that he couldn't watch Hermione be with anyone else. "Why don't you be independent and go alone?" he suggested, he hoped subtly.

Hermione turned to face him again, and thought she saw a flash of jealousy, before remembering who she was talking to. "As much as that sounds enjoyable, it would also mean that I would be labelled 'Sad Little Hermione, who couldn't even find someone to go with'. Peer pressure is powerful," she said, light hearted. Severus' stomach started to coil in on itself, and he knew that something would have to prevent this from happening. He decided to work on his lesson plans whilst thinking up the plan.

They worked in silence, the sound of quills and the fire crackling the only disturbance. Hermione soon finished her essay, and before moving onto the next one, she just looked at the man sitting at the desk. As she saw him work around the chaos, she found it interesting how it mimicked what he did in his everyday life. Then that flash of a look crossed her mind. Had he been jealous? It was then she realised how confused she was about the situation. It had started out as a simple arrangement – designed to help the both of them out. But that look – which she wasn't certain if it really happened or not – told her that something had changed. "What are we?" she murmured, not realising that she wasn't thinking that, but saying it out loud. She only realised when he raised his head and looked at her questionably, making her blush. She then turned back to the book at hand, and tried not to feel the burning gaze coming from her husband.

"Hermione, I suggest that if you've got something to say, you just say it," he stated, his teacher tone coming back with a vengeance. He noticed the bite in his voice, but he couldn't seem to help it.

She simply sighed and looked back at him. _Why is he so eager to pick a fight with me?_ she thought, as she looked into those darkened eyes again. She summoned all the strength that she had, before saying "Nothing. It doesn't matter," before turning back to her book. Severus just stared at her for a second, before turning back to his lesson plans. When he had finished, he looked up, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. He then glanced over at Hermione, and saw that she was daydreaming again. She looked slightly pained, and he was so tempted to see what was going on by delving into her brain. However, considering his two past attempts at it being unsuccessful, or making the girl turn into tears, he decided against it.

Instead he walked over to the sofa and sat down beside the girl and waited. He just looked into the fireplace ready for when she was out of her daydream. He didn't have to wait for long, as Hermione looked at Severus, his face partially lit up by the fireplace in front of them. She then just let herself fall on him, her head hitting his shoulder softly, still sitting by his side. Severus, still silent, rested his head on top of hers and eased from his stance slightly. They sat this way for several minutes, both watching the fire crackle before them, until Hermione broke the silence. "It's weird."

"What is?" he replied, almost beginning to panic.

"How I wish it could be just us sometimes. Never having to deal with the outside world or anyone in it. Yet without them, I wouldn't be here right now, with you," she continued, not noticing the tension that was released from her husband's shoulders. "What did Dumbledore want to talk to you about?" she asked, never feeling more relaxed than she did in that moment.

He thought carefully about what he wanted to say. He wanted to be honest, but he was terrified about disclosing what happened to Hermione, it would be letting down a guard he had only done once. And then she went off with James Potter. But he had lied, by omission, to her once before, and had nearly lost her. He wasn't so sure that he was willing to risk it again. So, he took a deep breath, willing his nerves to calm down, and said "He wanted to ask me what was going on with us."

Hermione removed herself from his shoulder, and turned to look him right in the eyes. She had been in her daydream wondering what he would say if that very question was posed to him. She looked at him earnestly, and asked, in a voice that was quieter than even she had been expecting, "What did you say?"

Severus met her gaze, though he wanted nothing more than to look away. Her eyes were so hopeful, he was worried in case what he said next would shatter whatever dream she had. But he had come too far to begin lying to her now. "I told him that whatever business we had was precisely that. Ours. But that was mainly because, to be quite frank, I don't know what we are myself," he said. When she looked disappointed and began to look away, he felt a heavy sink in his chest, and he took her hand in his, causing her to look at him again. Hermione just looked at him confused. "I may not know what we are, Hermione, but I know that you are important to me."

He could feel himself blush at his admission, and turned away from her. Letting go of her hand, he was about to get up when Hermione leant over and kissed him on the cheek. He jerked his head in the direction of the girl, who looked as though she was taking a deep breath. Severus wasn't sure what would happen next. Scenes of her letting him down gently played across his mind, but they were fleeting, and when she opened her mouth again, he made sure to pay her all of his attention. "You are important to me too." She stated, confident in her speech. Hermione saw his eyes soften, and took this opportunity to hug him tightly, laying her head on his chest, hearing that strong heart beat drum beneath her ear. Severus could hear choirs, and saw stars as she did this, and just wrapped his arms around her, letting her in. They spent their evening like that, just quietly talking whilst holding each other, the only safety they had in the school.

* * *

Severus had managed to avoid McGonagall the next morning, and refused to make eye contact at Dumbledore at breakfast. The last thing he needed was to be judged by anyone. Severus was on cloud nine, and although the majority of those in front of him in the Great Hall could tell any different, he knew that he was in the best mood that he had been in a while.

Hermione was in a similar mood, and only came across trouble on the way to her potions lesson. Whilst walking down a corridor, deep in conversation with Harry and Ron, she couldn't help but overhear the cat calls and jeers from a group of horrid teenage boys. Then one of them called out her name, and Hermione knew that she recognised it. Hermione let out a small groan and turned around. Sure enough, Cormac McLaggen was standing there, a horrible grin plastered on his face. "Cormac. I actually have to be somewhere, so if you don't mind I should-" she tried, but as usual was interrupted by the foul beast in front of her.

"I actually wanted to have a word with you Hermione, about this party on Saturday. I wanted to know if you'd go with me," he said, a smug smile sitting on his face. It reminded Hermione of Gilderoy Lockhart, when he was famous.

Under normal circumstances, Hermione would have laughed and walked away. But Hermione knew that she needed to find a partner for the party, and it might as well be the idiot in front of her. "Sure. I'll meet you there. Now I really must go," she admitted, and then walked away from the cheers of Cormac who returned to his group of friends with the good news that, once again, he had pulled. She walked down to the potions classroom, where she excelled again; keeping up with the high standards that Harry and his book had set. The day went similarly well for Severus, who managed to further instil the fear that had become his reputation.

Severus ran into trouble at dinner that day, where he could no longer avoid the head of Gryffindor. He kept feeling the glare of Minerva McGonagall coming from his left. He had been trying to ignore it up to that point, but he knew that he had to confront it at some point. "Is there something the matter Minerva?" he said, far too innocently for her liking.

"You know very well what Severus," she spat.

"No. I don't. You were all for this marriage before, and you know what it takes to seal a marriage," he said, truly unaware of the supposed damage he had caused.

"I was fine with it once. However, I cannot let one of my students be taken advantage of, I won't allow it Severus!" she hissed, not wanting anyone to hear their debate.

"I don't take advantage of students! I don't take advantage of my wife either. Other than that, what goes on between us is hardly any of your business," he whispered back, determined to hold his own.

"I'm just worried that you may hold her back. You don't see the potential she has. If she helps Potter succeed, she would make a good name for muggle-borns everywhere. And to think, that was the same girl at eleven, who couldn't believe that magic even existed!" she said, leaning back in her chair towards the end of her rant, relishing in some far off memory. Severus just stayed silent and stared at the old woman, not believing how stupid she could be.

"She does that already," he said.

"Sorry?" Minerva asked, shocked by his outburst.

"I said, she gives a good name for muggle-borns everywhere already! Look at her. She excels all her fellow students – even those years beyond her! She doesn't need to be tagged as being a helper to the Potter boy. And she's not that eleven year old anymore. She's a young woman who holds so much potential. I'm disappointed Minerva. I thought you knew that," he elaborated, standing up dramatically and left the room, his cloak wafting behind him as dramatically as his speech was.

Hermione just saw the cloak, and her eyes remained fixed on him. She began to blush again. How was she ever going to face him again? Taking a deep breath, she returned her attention to the conversation being held between her group, and tried to act as normal as possible, though her mind was elsewhere. After they had finished dinner, she said that she was going to bed early to study, and was met with groans from the others and they wished her goodnight. She smiled to herself as she left the Great Hall. She was still so surprised that none of her friends could see the difference in her that she felt. When she got back to their room, she just saw Severus asleep on the sofa, his deep breathing almost hypnotic. She grabbed a blanket and draped it around him, before kissing his forehead and whispered "Good night Severus," before going to bed herself.


	18. Chapter 18 Christmas Party

The sound of Hermione's heels echoed around the empty corridor as she made her way to the dreaded Christmas party. She was wishing with every step that she took that she had been able to take up Harry on his offer. She cursed herself for not thinking of the obvious solution – it's what she did! As she neared the door, Hermione smoothed down her pink dress and took a deep breath. This was surely going to be one of the worst evenings of her life. But she had to be there, for Harry's sake more than anyone else's, and she didn't mind that fact. She turned the handle to the door which blocked her from the noise of the other party goers.

The first thing she saw when she entered was green and gold, as they draped from the ceiling, making the normally dull room feel more mystical. Hermione then looked around the room, and gazed on the various colours of dresses that only made the room more vibrant, next to the plain colours of all the boys. It was like being a part of some old fashioned gentleman's club, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to leave the distinct sense of pompousness in the room.

She was about to turn around, when a dark shadow caught her eye. Hermione's eyes locked onto the dark figure, and felt her pulse increase a little. He hadn't seen her yet, and was looking out for bad behaviour left right and centre. Hermione noticed how like a big cat he was, hiding in the tall grass awaiting for his prey before pouncing out when they least expected it. His appearance also made her heart skip a beat. His dark hair tied back, he wasn't wearing his usual teaching robes. Instead, he wore a simple suit, naturally black, with a white shirt, with the top three or four buttons undone. He looked so much younger than normal, looking 36 rather than well into his forties. Severus must have noticed someone staring at him, as he looked around like he was trying to spot a fly and his eyes rested on Hermione, making her blush slightly.

He smiled internally at the sight in front of him. She didn't look as glamorous as she had on their wedding day, but she looked just a beautiful. Her hair was half off her face, meaning that he could see her features more easily and more clearly. Severus then became pleased that Hermione had decided to get ready with her friends; it allowed him to be so pleasantly surprised like this. He smirked slightly, and gave her a nod of acknowledgement. He saw her blush more, and then dragged off by a smug looking McLaggen. _If only he knew whose room she was going back to_ he thought to himself as his attention was brought back to the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, Hermione was trying to get out of the grasp of McLaggen. It took her about five seconds to realise that he was beyond wasted, and that she needed to vacate his company. She quickly made the excuse of getting a drink, before moving close to the drinks counter and dashing to hide behind the curtains. She took a sigh of relief when she was safe on the other side of the jade curtains. She giggled quietly when she saw Cormac look around looking more confused in his drunken state. She jumped a foot in the air when she heard a familiar voice from besides her say "Hiding from anyone?"

"Harry! That's not funny!" she hissed, hitting her friend lightly as he laughed at her surprise. "It's just Cormac…I don't know why I ever said yes to him." She quickly glanced back at Harry who looked surprised at her choice of date. "Don't start Harry, I already regret it." Harry then just held his hand up in surrender, looking as innocent as he could.

"So, 'Mione, haven't had a chance to talk to you for ages about your…dilemma. I just want you to know I'm here if you need to talk to anyone," he said, carefully trying not to set his best friend off again. He had felt so guilty after last time.

Hermione just looked at her friend and didn't know whether to shout at him, or to hug him and tell him everything. She closed her eyes for a second, and remembered the snake face that was the enemy, and knew she had to stand her ground. "Harry, I can't tell you about that. But I could – this would hardly be the time or the place. Please, just drop it, before I get really-…Oh Crap! He's found me, I have to go Harry!" She whispered back to him, and made her escape from the curtain just as Cormac was pulling on the curtain to enter their secret area.

Once free from his clutches, Hermione wandered a little away from the drinks stand, and stood by a pillar near the dance floor. The low lighting and the soft, slow music, made the entire area seem as though it was enchanted by cupid, as a sea of couples were slowly shifting around the dance floor. Each was in their own little world. It reminded Hermione of 'first dances' at a wedding, and there was a slight pull on her heart when she realised that she had never had that.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a low voice sounded from behind her, and she turned around sharply to see that it was her husband. Turning back to the crowd, she realised how in this position it would look as though they weren't even together. Even when he wasn't meant to be planning, Severus was coming up with the best plans.

"I was thinking how we didn't have a first dance. It's silly, I know-"

"Never apologise for your thoughts to me Hermione. You are almost always right," he replied, noting how he had made the girl smile. Looking around, he silently cast a few spells. "As for our first dance…I'm sure I can oblige," he continued, extending his hand. When Hermione looked around, her eyes widening, and he elaborated "I cast a few charms. Believe me; no one could look over here if they tried."

She smiled widely as she took his hand. He took her more into the dark area he had found of the room, and once they had found enough space, they just seemed to slot together perfectly. He loved the feeling of her arms draped around his neck, as if he were the only solid thing in the world to her. He slid his arms around Hermione's waist, loving the feeling of her in his arms, never wanting to let go. Hermione just looked into her man's eyes, getting lost as she always did and knew that she didn't mind a single bit. The song started, and they just moved together, not sure of how they were moving, just knowing that they were. Eventually, Hermione just closed her eyes, and leant her head against his solid chest. She felt so relaxed with him, she almost didn't realise when she said "Why are you so nice to me?"

Severus just looked confused for a second, as he wasn't sure if the question had even really happened. He then thought he might as well reply to it anyway. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you Hermione?"

Hermione looked back at him, missing the contact from his chest slightly. "Because I'm just another annoying know-it-all. This time last year, I meant nothing to you. And you're doing all this stuff for me that I'm sure isn't necessary, like giving me a first dance, fighting for me and even being gentle during my first time. I'm just curious why."

Severus just took a few moments to think about it. "Contrary to popular belief Hermione, I'm not a monster. I have feelings too. I have wrecked far too many lives doing what I do, and I like to try and do the right thing when I can. But why I'm nice to you _now_?" he started, a smile starting to break out over his lips. He leaned into her ear and whispered "It's because you're the most important person to me. You're my lover and my wife. I want to please you." He leant away from her ear and looked at her face for a reaction. Her pupils seemed to be a bit more dilated, though he wasn't sure if that was because of the dark room. He was certain, however, when she pressed herself to him and pressed her lips against his, almost waiting for him to react. And that he certainly did, possessively taking her mouth with his, with the direct result of Hermione's moans, urging him to continue.

But he couldn't. He heard a commotion coming from the other room. Immediately letting go of Hermione and removing the charms over the two of them, he marched his way to see what was going on. When he made his way through the pupils he saw the youngest Malfoy in the hands of Filch. Taking in his surroundings of Slughorn looking confused and Malfoy trying to unhand himself from Filch, Severus knew what must have happened. He got caught. "I believe he is in my house Argus! I'll take care of him," he shouted over the slight ruckus of the pupil's curiosity. Filch's hand was quickly replaced with his own as he half dragged him outside and into an empty classroom nearby.

"Sit!" he ordered the boy, who looked as though he was not going to be willing to listen to what the older man had to say to him. _Typical Slytherin_. "Do you not think I know about your plans Draco? Because I do!" he said, exasperated with the boy. All the other attempts to reach out to him had been unsuccessful. He was hoping that this time would be different. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice, as the boy as just responding with eye rolls. "I can help. I promised your mother I would help, I swore to her I would. Just tell me what I-"

"You can fuck off for starters! I don't care what deals or 'promises' you made to my mum! I just need a bit more time for my plan to work, and for you to stay out of my business!" Draco said, spite and defiance playing on every word.

"Don't speak to me like that boy! Every plan needs helpers, and I could be one of them. Just think of what your father would say-" Severus tried, but he was soon interrupted by the blonde in front of him.

"Don't you dare talk about me father! Don't you see? This task he's set me will save us! I know it! If you stay out of it!" Draco shouted at him, stalking away from the classroom. Severus just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took in that failed attempt, unaware of the set of green eyes which had also witnessed it.

Hermione was just walked slowly back up to her fake room to get back to their room, almost dawdling. She felt like the night had been truly magical, and she didn't want it to end. Endless memories of their dance played across her mind. It had been everything she had hoped it would be. As she walked down the final and empty corridor, passing the familiar alcoves, she tried to scream when hands reached out and grabbed her, but one of those hands was covering her mouth. She was immediately turned around and lips came crashing down on hers. Unfamiliar lips. Her eyes took in the features she could make out as she was frozen with fear. Then she realised. Cormac. She then tried to get him off her, pleading with him to let her go.

She tried to escape, pushing him slightly away from her, but he just pressed back harder, his entire weight meaning that she wasn't going anywhere. Hermione soon found it difficult to breathe, and his hand soon began to slide up, underneath her dress. Trying to say 'no' one more time, when he didn't stop, she lost all fight in her, and began gasping for air as she couldn't believe that this was really happening. She closed her eyes and tried not to cry, wanting to be somewhere, anywhere, than in that tiny alcove with Cormac McLaggen.

She then felt a gust of fresh cool air, as all the weight was lifted from her suddenly. Opening her eyes, she saw the very welcome sight of Severus holding Cormac, looking shocked, against the wall by his lapels. Severus was breathing heavily with rage, strands of hair loose from the ponytail, holding everything he had in him not to severely maim or kill the pathetic sack of a human being in front of him. Cormac struggled a little under the grasp and gaze of the feared Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Severus surveyed his prey beneath his grip, as a look of fear crossed his drunken face.

"What's the matter? Don't like being held against your will?" he said very sinisterly. Cormac's eyes widened, but Severus held him strong against the wall, making sure he didn't go anywhere. "I should hurt you. I really should. Maybe you would learn your lesson," he mused, with every syllable making Cormac more and more nervous. Severus then took a quick glance at the girl, who looked sad and shocked at the display in front of her. He felt his anger subsiding slightly, and so he leaned into Cormac's ear. He whispered "You go near her, or treat any girl like I have seen you treat Hermione tonight, and I will hunt you down. And I won't be so nice." He then threw the boy to the floor, and as Cormac struggled to get up and stumble down the corridor, he shouted "Expect a visit from Dumbledore and McGonagall tomorrow!"

Breathing heavily, adrenaline pulsing through his veins, he became lost in a world of his own, deliberating whether or not he had just done the right thing. He was brought out of his world when he heard a sob coming from the darkened indent in the wall. Seeing Hermione covering her face and crying made his heart ache in a way it hadn't for a very long time, and so he strode over to her and just gently hugged her, stroking her hair and wishing with every fibre of his being that he had gotten there sooner. Hermione just allowed him to wrap his arms around her, the overwhelming feeling of safety filling her once more. He had saved her, and for that she was incredibly grateful. His soothing touches registered with her, and she wanted nothing more than to just be with him, just be in his arms for the rest of her life.

She barely noticed when he scooped her into his arms and carried her to their room via the fake room. He then placed her onto the sofa, and kissed her forehead, wishing he could go after Cormac. But he knew he was needed here far more than going after that useless bastard. He kissed her forehead as the tears subsided and murmured "I'm so sorry Hermione, I should have got there sooner." Severus then moved away from the girl as he went into the bedroom to get changed into his pyjamas. When he emerged again, she seemed to have gotten a little bit of her composure back, as she smoothed out her hair slightly.

"It's not your fault Severus. I'm grateful you got there when you did, it could have been so much worse." She said, looking him directly in the eyes, unnerving him slightly.

"Or it could have been avoided if I had been there" he replied, sadly, removing eye contact from her.

"And risk getting caught? Then what? Our easy life would be gone, forever replaced with silly rumours. He's going to get dealt with now, that's all I care about," she said, getting up and closer to him. She leant up to him and kissed him on the cheek, her hand remaining by his cheek, feeling the slight stubble emerging. "I'm happy with the way things have turned out. There's only one thing I would change," she continued, feeling her knees weaken when one of his hands joined hers on his cheek, as though he were checking it was really there. He just looked at her, his eyes questioning. She smiled and said "Not even my parents call me 'Hermione'. Please, call me 'Mione."

He smiled in return and turned his face slightly and kissed her hand, before turning back and looking into her eyes and saying "In that case 'Mione, call me Sev." He grasped her hand in his and turned and led her into their bedroom for the night, determined to make her forget all about Cormac McLaggen.


	19. Chapter 19 Christmas Break

As soon as dawn entered the enchanted window, Severus was up and ready. Making sure he didn't wake up Hermione, he swiftly left the room and their quarters, with one destination in his mind. Anyone who had the misfortune to see Severus on his journey would have seen him looking the most terrifying in Hogwarts history, and if they were a student up to something? He would have killed them on the spot. He was not in a mood to be messed around with and he was on his way to see only one person.

He stalked his way up the spiral stairs after muttering the damned sweet that was his favourite of the moment, thinking of how he could express his anger at the situation in a calm and controlled manner. Throwing the door opened, he just looked at the surprised old man, who was clearly not expecting to see anyone so early in the morning. "Severus…what can I do for you?" he tried, tiredness lacing his words.

Severus just approached the desk like a bat, and began his tale of how he was just innocently patrolling the corridors, when he heard a less than innocent altercation between McLaggen and Hermione, and how he had broken the two of them up, before ensuring that Hermione was ok. "I want him punished severely Albus. Who knows how many times he's done this before and simply gotten away with it," he stated, still standing by the chairs opposite Dumbledore's desk, fuming with the memory of that lecherous boy.

"Well this is all very disturbing news Severus. Of course, the appropriate action will be taken, and we'll question both Hermione and Cormac, before settling on his punishment," he replied. Severus just nodded at this. He knew that there would be something in the way, but at least it was getting dealt with now. "I heard there was another disturbance at the party last night. Something about Mr Malfoy?" he continued, causing Severus to straighten slightly. _Trust him to want even more information from _me. He then proceeded to tell Dumbledore all that had happened, and the old man just sat there, nodding in response. Eventually a silence filled the office, as Dumbledore thought what the best way forward would be. "Give him the space. Maybe when his plan fails yet again, without any input from you, he'll see the value of having you on board."

Severus nodded at that, before leaving the room. He was more at ease knowing that something was going to get done about the McLaggen boy. On his way back to the room, he glanced out of the windows on the way down and saw the never ending blanket of snow. It made him warm a little inside thinking that Christmas was on its way. Fewer pupils meant less trouble, which meant less stress. He was certainly looking forward to the serene quality the castle took on when it was quiet. When he finally managed to make it back to his dorm, he was surprised to see it look a little less chaotic, as though something was missing. When he went into the bedroom, he just saw Hermione surrounded by folded clothes which she was fitting into a suitcase. He saw her look up and blush a little bit before getting back to the task at hand.

"I'm going back to my parents for Christmas," she stated, still in the midst of packing. Hermione then tried to carry on packing with the same efficiency as before, but her attention wavered when he sat on the only free space on the bed. _Go on. Just ask. What's the worst that could happen?_ She thought to herself, immediately replying to herself _he just rejects me? He laughs in my face?_ She settled for a more subtle route, "Have you got any plans for Christmas?"

He smirked a little at that. It had been many years since anyone had asked him that, let alone actually considered his answer. "I'll probably be staying here. Maybe a meeting with _him_ or two," he replied, noticing how she seemed to be avoiding his eyes a little bit. She gestured for him to pass something that was beside him, and he passed the already folded clothes, still not getting any glance at her eyes. He settled for looking out of the window instead, watching delicate snowflakes glide to the ground.

Hermione was still trying to fit in everything into her suitcase, whilst trying to build up her nerves at the same time. She wasn't so sure why she was nervous to ask; after all he had said she was nearly always right. But the fear of him saying 'no' was almost suffocating. She took a deep breath, holding onto the sides of her suitcase for support and refusing to look at him, she knew she had to say it now or she never would. Stuttering slightly, she came out with "W-w-well…if you want to, of course, you're always welcome…to come with me."

She jumped slightly when one large hand covered one of hers, causing her to look up at the tall dark man. He was looking at her, considering her possible request. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea Hermione. Your parents don't like me very much," he said calmly, letting the words sink in.

She thought about his words carefully. Hermione had to admit that they didn't appear to be his biggest fans, but she knew the real reason behind it. "It's not that they don't like you Severus, it's just that they don't know you very well. This is an opportunity to fix that," she replied, her courage restored to its normal level.

Severus just nodded with what she was saying. He knew she made sense, but it didn't stop him from being nervous at the thought of being in the same vicinity as Hermione's father and knives. Knowing she was waiting for a reply, he saw how keen she was for him to come in her eyes, but his gut was telling him not to go. He leaned into her ear and whispered "I'll think about it," causing her to shiver slightly, and for him to smirk at her response. As she closed her suitcase, and watching her drag it across the room and out of their quarters, Severus knew that he had made up his mind, even if it didn't last long.

Hermione was dragging her suitcase down the seventh floor corridor, glad that she had attached wheels to the thing, when she heard a familiar Scottish voice coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw that it was Professor McGonagall. She blushed slightly, thinking of their last interaction as she was being told that she had been summoned to Dumbledore's office. Hermione thought of the spiral staircase, and asked if there was an easier way to get her suitcase up there, and was greeted with a warm smile and a promise that Professor McGonagall would take care of it.

Approaching the office, Hermione guessed what it would be about, and was both determined and nervous about what was sure to follow. Knocking on the door, she wanted to both barge in and run away as fast as her legs would carry her. When she eventually went in, she saw Dumbledore looking concerned at his table and Cormac looking shifty in his one of the chairs opposite. Sitting down when gestured, Hermione instinctively leaned away from him, the memories of the night before entering her mind.

"Miss Granger, Mr McLaggen, I have been informed of an…altercation between the two of you last night at the Slughorn party. I just want to know what happened. Miss Granger, would be alright to begin?" Dumbledore said, making sure to remain as diplomatic as possible. Hermione just nodded and detailed what had happened last night, trying not o go too far into detail yet get across the seriousness at what had happened, how close it had all come. Out of the corner of her eye, she just saw Cormac squirming more and more, as well as getting redder and redder. When she was finished with her story, Dumbledore just turned to Cormac and said "Mr McLaggen, would you say that was a fair interpretation at what happened?" At first, silence engulfed the room. Then the tiniest of nods was seen from the teenager, who looked ashamed and embarrassed at hearing the story from the other side. _Good_ Hermione thought.

Dumbledore sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking of the best punishment for him. When he was satisfied with his reason, he spoke to the two in front of him, "Well, this is a serious matter, and I can't allow such behaviour in this school. No house points will be taken, as that would punish the victim as well as the aggressor. Given the information I have been told, I can only see one suitable punishment. Mr McLaggen, you will be spending a full week's detention with Professor Snape when you get back, and you will do what he asks." Cormac started to shake slightly in his seat. He thought about the treatment he had gotten the night before, and the thought of seven more hours of that had made him more terrified than he had ever been in his life. Dumbledore continued "If I ever hear of you doing this to another student – whether or not it's happened in the past or not, further action will be taken – and I must warn you Mr McLaggen, I won't be so lenient. You may go."

Cormac immediately fled the room, and Hermione thought she heard sobs coming from the corridor as he left, but she found it too difficult to feel any sympathy for him. She looked at Dumbledore for a few moments, before he smiled at her, and she wasn't sure how to react. "It's really amazing you know," he said, breaking the silence.

"What is professor?"

The man in front of her just shook his head. "Nothing Miss Granger. Nothing you won't find out eventually," he said, his well-known cryptic messages creeping in. "You may also leave Miss Granger. Happy holidays!" he continued. Hermione returned the wishes, and left the room heading for McGonagall's office. Dumbledore then had to get up to get ready for the travels he would be making over Christmas, humming to himself whilst packing everything into one bag.

* * *

Hermione was wandering aimlessly on the train, trying to find her friends and avoiding falling over when the train turned a corner, lost in her own world. The chatter coming from the various compartments wasn't enough to bring her out of her trance, nor was the sounds of the hard working engine. She looked into the compartments, looking for the familiar green eyes and red hair that she had grown accustomed to. When she finally found it, she flashed a smile at the people known as her friends, until her eyes rested on the frosted glass, with the love note inscribed on it. Hermione took a second look into the compartment. Harry and Ron were laughing, joking around with that sycophant Lavender Brown. Her grip loosening on the handle of the door, she realised how she had been replaced. She walked away from the compartment, becoming lost in her world again. Hermione then spent the rest of her journey in a small compartment, alone, reading a textbook for next term at Hogwarts, trying to hold in the tears.

Hogwarts was always alarmingly quiet at Christmas time. The footsteps normally dulled out by the sound of those annoying beings echoed alarmingly as the tall dark man strode down the corridor. He preferred it this way, always had. It allowed him to think more clearly whilst being able to explore more than his room. It had thrilled him in previous years, to be able to go as he pleased without the fear of those children seeing him not scowling. The pale snow and the blank castle provided the perfect surroundings for Snape to think things clearly. Unfortunately it also allowed him time to think about the proposition he had received only a few hours ago.

_It was silly of her to ask, I can't go. What would I say? "Hi Dr and Dr Granger. Yes I am here for Christmas, Hermione invited me." _He argued with himself, trying to convince himself that his decision to stay was a good one. _I don't even have a Christmas present for her or her family, it would be stupid to go_. Severus stood still, realising he had arrived at Hermione's fake room on his travels. Seeing the door, so ordinary yet held so many secrets, it made him stop. His breaths showing in the empty corridor, he found himself reaching out to it, as if he could get closer to her simply by touching it. Then his mind was brought back to something that he saw when he was last in Diagon Alley. Smirking to himself, he knew how much Hermione would love it. His mood soured quickly when he came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to get it because he wasn't going to be there for Christmas. His hand was quickly removed from the door, like it had suddenly turned red hot.

Severus turned sharply on his heel and began marching the other way, determined to get away from the ever intrusive thoughts. He was travelling down the staircases, which knew better than to try and lead him stray, when an idea hit him, like a cold hard slap. Hermione was alone in London, where a lot of Death Eater activity took place. Severus couldn't help but smile as the plans formed together in his head. _You know this is just an excuse. You know she can handle it. _ He mused, before heading off in his new direction, excitement bristling him like he had received the newest potion journal. Of course, if you were to see him in that moment, the cloak billowing behind him like sails, you wouldn't notice a difference in the cold expression that had become a part of Severus Snape.

When Hermione had entered her home, she couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. On her journey home, she had had fantasies of Severus changing his mind. Of him being at her home, ready to help her face her parents questions. But she knew that he probably wanted nothing less than to face her parents. She just put a big smile on, and answered her questions parents as positively as she could, always noticing the slight difference in the expression that her father had. Like he knew what they had done together. Maybe he did. Or maybe he was still disappointed at that outcome. Either way, it unnerved Hermione slightly.

That's why she had asked to go to bed early. Hermione hated feeling awkward more than anything. She had changed into her pyjamas and settled into her nice big bed. The pale blues and purples of the room blended together slightly to create an altogether calm feeling. As cars passed down the street, the light blues of the room stood out more than usual, causing Hermione to remember the morning after her wedding. The dawn sky that had confirmed to her that everything was going to be alright. Her hand drifted to the ring on her left hand and began playing with it, as her mind drifted to the person who had given her it. She couldn't help but feel a bit bitter towards him, but soon cast the thoughts aside and turned over, hoping that her bad thoughts would go too. Closing her eyes, her cool pillows and blankets around her, she knew that she was going to find it difficult to sleep that night.

Hermione nearly screamed when she felt the mattress sink beside her, but it was supressed by a large hand. The same large hand which had grabbed her attention whilst packing. She eased her body again and the hand was removed from her, and she swiftly turned over, to see the smirking face of Severus Snape. She wanted to hit him and kiss him all at the same time. Instead she just settled for a slightly open mouth gaze, surprised to see him in her bed. "But I thought that-" she started.

"I couldn't leave one of the Golden Trio undefended from the Death Eaters. And who better than a Death Eater to protect you," he smoothly said, noticing her pupils increase as he spoke. He loved the effect he had on her.

She replied by playfully raising her eyebrow and saying "I'm sure I can defend myself perfectly well Professor. That's no reason to come all the way here."

He replied by nodding. "True. Very true. But then I couldn't do this," he replied, before leaning towards the girl and placing a very soft, very delicate kiss on her lips. She couldn't help but lean in for more, the familiar intoxicated feeling rising again. She was very disappointed when he pulled away. He then leaned back and feigned sleep, Hermione just looking at him with shock and slight dismay. When she had determined that nothing more was going to happen, she leaned on his chest, which was still bare as it always was at night. She heard that familiar heartbeat again, as it eased her into that deep sleep that she could only get through him. The last thing she heard before dropping off was the deep baritone from above her whispering "Goodnight Hermione."


	20. Chapter 20 Crackers

The hustle and bustle of the city reminded Hermione of Hogwarts at peak time. The shoving and disregard for other people left her hankering for some space to breathe. She managed to maintain a neutral face, which was more than could be said for the tall dark man beside her. His lips were thinning rapidly into a straight line that, if at Hogwarts, would mean that a student was just about to get a lot of points removed. But Snape found himself weapon less on the Muggle street and had to settle giving everyone looks that could kill. _Why did she have to choose today to go shopping for Christmas presents?_ He thought to himself, knowing that he was sulking slightly. Little did he know that Hermione was thinking the same thing, but knowing that today was the only reasonable day to do it. The Saturday before Christmas was well known for being a busy day to do it, but with the restrictions of being at Hogwarts and all, this was the first real opportunity that she had to do it. Severus had assigned himself to the task of defending her during this trip.

They had already been in the midst of the shopping fiasco for two hours, and to say that Severus was ready to go home would be an understatement. However, he was also reminded of the level that he was unwelcome back at what was his temporary home. Andrew Granger had made it very clear that Severus was not to sleep in the same bed as Hermione, and was not to be alone with her for long periods of time. Severus had just calmly said that he was assigned to protect her and would do his job. Hermione remembered how clever she had thought it at the time, as it wasn't a direct way of saying 'shut up Andrew', but it wasn't a willingness to comply with his 'rules' set down. Hermione had then suggested the shopping trip to relieve the increasing tension in the room, banning her parents from coming for obvious reasons.

Hermione was pleased with the way things had unfolded, but was also not looking too forward to the return to the house. She couldn't tell which she was dreading more: the scowls that her father would be giving her husband, or the sneer that he would return with. However, she resolved that there was nothing she could do about it for the moment, and decided to throw her full energy into getting just the right presents for everyone. Soon after the two hour mark, Hermione had decided that there was only one gift that she needed to get, and she had to find a way to distract the person receiving it. After a few minutes of pretending to browse through some books, she came up with the perfect distraction. "Severus?" she started out, her cheery tone not agreeing with the older man's temperament.

"Yes Hermione?" he said, clearly tired with the business of having to deal with people.

"Could you go get me some hot chocolate? Pretty please?" she said, a smile spreading across her face as she tried to convince him to go away. But he just stared down his nose at her for a few moment, considering her words.

"…Hermione it is already incredibly hot in here, you do not need to be warmed up any more," he replied with, not understanding what was going on and didn't want to resort to legimens. He considered that the end of the conversation. But as per usual, Hermione didn't.

"Hot chocolate isn't only for warming you up. It's a nice treat to have, especially when you have whipped cream on top of it." When she saw that this argument was not working on him, she decided to pull out the big guns. "It would make me smile," deliberately trying not to smile as she said this, which was difficult considering how ridiculously pissed off he looked. He knew that she was blatantly trying to manipulate him. He was disappointed to find out it was working.

"Do not move from this spot, remember I'm meant to be protecting you," he said as he stalked off, the nearest coffee shop being his target. Hermione grinned until he was out of earshot, knowing that the nearest one was at the other end of the street – giving her plenty of time to get the present for her husband that he really wanted, even if he didn't know it yet. As soon as she couldn't see him anymore, she dashed in the opposite direction, knowing exactly what it was she was going to get him.

The purchase took slightly longer than expected, so Hermione was running back to the spot where she had ordered Snape to get the drinks. She didn't want him worrying or being angry at her for moving – even if it was for innocent intentions. She was moving so quick that she didn't realise how the street had become empty. She panted as she came to rest at the spot, relieved to see how he hadn't arrived yet. She just thought it was an innocent chill in the air, as she pulled her scarf around her neck slightly tighter. She still thought that everything was all right.

As her breathing evened out again, she noticed that the quiet street was not as it first appeared. Gone was the hustle and bustle that had only a few minutes before plagued the streets. Now there was just this sense of unease as she felt the familiar wave of sadness hit her. Panicking she felt her eyes darting up and down the street, knowing they were there but didn't know where. It wasn't until the last moment before she saw them. Their dark cloaks floating behind them sinisterly. Their hidden faces increasing their mystery and the fear within the girl that was unmistakeably their target. As they glided towards her, Hermione reached for her wand, only to find that it wasn't there, a flash of it on her bedside table springing to mind. She froze with fear. She hadn't had an opportunity to practise wandless magic. She felt her worst memories coming to light as they approached her, as she tried to back away from them, only finding a shop front meeting her back. She nearly screamed when she saw the leader of the group of five dementors slowly reach to the hood of his cloak and gracefully pull it down, revealing its face, all the while moving towards Hermione. It still gained on her, and Hermione found herself thinking of how she could get out of this situation, but she couldn't. She hadn't learnt to apparate, there was no fireplace behind her. There was no escape. The leader's face was opening slightly and Hermione knew what was coming next.

The beams of light were blinding, making Hermione squint and raise her hand to try and save her eyes. She wasn't expecting that. The fiends in front of her dissipated and she could see the beam of light which had saved her. The doe just stood there looking at the empty space in front of it, making sure the threat was gone. Then it turned to Hermione and maintained eye contact with her. Hermione was mesmerised by its simple grace. Then Severus stood through the doe and it disappeared into a puff of smoke. "I told you to stay here," he simply stated, making the girl just stare at him open mouthed.

"I did! That didn't stop them from attacking me!" She hissed back. He just raised his eyebrow. She kept his gaze, refusing to admit anything different. He then let his face fall into neutrality, and just glanced down at the two cups swirling in the wind on the ground, the dark brown and cream contents mixing together on the pavement.

He looked at Hermione again and just said "How about we both go to get hot chocolate?" She just nodded and started walking with him. A few silent minutes had passed before he just said "I seem to remember you saying that 'you could defend yourself perfectly well'" teasingly. He smirked slightly and turned to the girl as they walked. She just looked at him and playfully hit him on the arm, which made them both laugh as they walked towards the shop.

Once they ordered their drinks and found a quiet table in the corner, sipping on their drinks, Hermione's mind began to work properly. She mused it must have been the chocolate. She then turned to the man sitting opposite her. "I liked your doe," she said, hoping to spark some conversation to alleviate the situation somewhat. Instead, Severus just tightened his grip on the cup slightly and continued to drink it in silence.

A few more minutes of silence later and Snape said in his teacher tone "Where is your wand? I was under the assumption that Potter taught you all the joys of the Patronus charm."

The tone didn't sit right with Hermione, knowing that he was in a bad mood now, but she didn't know what she had done. "It's back at home, I forgot it. And _Harry_ did teach us all it. But…I'm not the most accomplished Patronus user," she admitted, feeling ashamed after saying it, and couldn't look him in the eyes.

He just took in her words. He just looked at her as he kept consuming the hot beverage, which he had to admit was a lot better with cream on it. They both just continued in silence, both hoping they could go home as soon as possible.

* * *

They got back to a house with two Grangers, who were 'wanting a quick chat' about the circumstances of the surprise guest. So the Grangers and the Snapes sat down round the small kitchen table which was not required to fit more than three people at a time. They sat opposite each other, like two armies sizing each other up on the battle field. It was a few silent moments before one of them would start the attack. Mr Granger, over his thick rimmed glasses squared up his shoulders and decided that he would be the one to start the attack. "So, Severus-"

"Professor Snape," he immediately interjected, but was then elbowed sharply but discreetly by Hermione, who couldn't believe how rude he had just been. Slightly winded, he decided to try a change of tact, "You can call me Severus though," knowing it was a rather weak attempt.

Mr Granger just smiled a short smile at this and tried to restart the attack, "So, _Severus_," with extra emphasis knowing it was riling the other man up, "I was just wondering what you would be doing here during the holidays with your…_student_."

Severus felt his nerves snap one at a time with that. He wanted to say so many things at the same time at that statement, but he knew that Hermione wouldn't stand for it. Though she knew her dad was trying to wind Severus up, she wouldn't be as kind as she had been if he retaliated. So instead, he took a deep breath and began what he hoped would be a calming statement, "Mr Granger, I vowed before and during the wedding that I would protect your daughter as best I could. The war does not take a Christmas holiday. Therefore I am here to protect my _wife_, as I am sure you would yours." He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the resulting look of displeasure on Mr Granger's face, even though he earned a glare from Hermione which he tried to pretend he didn't see.

Andrew Granger felt his blood boil at the retort, and felt his fist clench, which was soon soothed by his wife sitting next to him. Taking a silent deep breath to calm his nerves slightly, he stated "Well I'm sure you can protect her from our guest bedroom, it's right across the hall from our room. Although I do have to warn you, the floor boards tend to creak loudly…and I like to sleep with the bedroom door open." It was almost a dare to Severus, begging him to say something, _anything_, to rile Hermione up. Severus had to try and think quickly to say something that wouldn't be too provocative.

"Thank you for your understanding and _kindness_ Mr Granger," he simply said, knowing that his compliance would throw the man off. The male Granger raised his eyebrows in surprise before narrowing his eyes with suspicion at the man. But, without any conflict there was nothing that could be done to remove the man from his house, so he had no choice but to leave it. Severus slowly raised himself from his seat, clearly done with this conversation. He made his way to the door, but before he was actually through it, he turned back to the small committee of Grangers and simply said "Would you mind terribly if I called you Andrew?", his voice dripping with sarcasm as he left the room. Hermione sat there under the glare of her parents, thinking of a list of hexes for her husband.

When Hermione lay in bed alone that night, she just let the day's events roll through her mind. She had nearly been kissed by a Dementor and had to referee a well-structured argument between her husband and her father. Who said that being a teenager wasn't difficult? She let her eyes close as she tried to let herself drift off into a sleep, knowing that it would be difficult without her usual pillow beside her. Almost as if by magic, she felt him slide in beside her, causing her to sigh. Though, she wasn't entirely sure if it was relief at the man's presence or aggravation for his behaviour that afternoon. She wanted to cuddle up beside him, but she had to show through some way that she didn't appreciate him outright fighting with her dad, so she remained rigid whilst he tried to pull he closer.

He just let out a big breath as he realised that she wasn't going to cooperate. "Hermione…what is it?" he asked, knowing full well what the problem was going to be.

"How did you get here without my dad noticing?" she spat out, her frustrations of the day letting themselves out.

Severus seemed only slightly taken aback by the tone in her voice, but he knew that to simply run away from the situation would only make things worse, so he did what he had to do. "He seems to forget that I am a wizard. I know how to silence sounds and make myself less noticeable. Now, tell me, what is the problem?" he replied, wondering how this was going to play out.

She turned to look at him, her stern look taking over her face. "Severus Snape you know full well what the problem is. My dad said no, and you wanted to start a fight with him this evening. I don't mind if you two don't become the best of friends, but I expect you two to get along – even if its just for the two weeks," she let out, looking Severus in the eyes as she did so, so he knew that she was not impressed at all.

"Well he wasn't exactly helping matters," he retorted, knowing how childish it sounded, but it just slipped out.

"Believe me, I'll be having a similar word with my dad, but that doesn't excuse your behaviour," she simply replied. He seemed to squirm a bit at that. Hermione then had a sudden flash of how the roles had reversed, her tone seeming more teacher like that she had ever sounded before. She giggled, which caught the attention of Severus, who looked at her confused. When it clicked with him his low laugh reverberates around the room. Hermione looked at him whilst he did so, noting how relaxed and handsome he looked when smiling. But she couldn't condone the behaviour. SO she rolled over so her back was to the man beside her.

He just looked at her, still knowing that something was wrong and so gently moved her hair from her ear and whispered softly "But your dad didn't say 'yes' yesterday. Why don't you tell me what the matter really is?" Hermione knew that something else was at the heart of the matter, but she hardly knew herself, so decided to keep quiet. Severus moved away from her ear and was about to get up to go back to his room, when Hermione grabbed his hand, making him pause. A few tense seconds passed in the room, deciding what the next move was going to be. Hermione held her breath, unsure of what was going to happen.

Her eyes closed in relief as the mattress sank down beside her, placing his hand over her stomach to allow him to pull her towards him tightly. As she drifted off, Severus just looked at the girl beside him. He knew he had made the right decision, but he couldn't go to sleep himself. Questions were running through his mind, like what had cause the strange girl's even stranger behaviour? Why were there dementors sent after her, and why hadn't he known about them? Was there some unforeseen factor getting in their way?


	21. Chapter 21 Last Christmas

A/N: I just want to say many apologies for being so late. I would love to come up with an incredibly original excuse like I had been abducted by aliens, but to be honest I was going through exams at uni, then it was Christmas with the family and somehow I ended up not having much time. I hope this chapter makes up for it, and I'll try to be better at uploading in the future. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes and saw the pale blanket that covered the outside of the world outside her window. This seemed to contrast with the warmth that she felt enveloping her, in the form of strong arms holding her away from the dangers facing them outside of their bed. His warm breath tickled the side of her neck as he breathed slow and deeply - meaning that for once she was awake before him. She didn't mind. The days following the Dementor attack had been weighing heavily on both their minds. He hadn't said anything to her, but she saw it in his eyes when he would gaze off into the distance over dinner, whilst pretending to read or whenever he thought no one was looking. Hermione knew that Severus hadn't been summoned, so the absence of it must be what was bothering him. The lack of information available would be enough to drive anyone insane, but this was Severus Snape. He had been dealing with Vol- that man since before she was born. Despite this, Hermione couldn't help but worry about the man beside her. Rolling over to look at him properly, she saw all the lines he had gained over the years from worrying. The determination was there as well, and Hermione got this overwhelming feeling that just somehow, someway, everything would work out for the best.

Today was the one day she refused to think about the war however. Hell, even 80 years previously two opposing sides decided to not think about the war for one day and just play a game of football, why weren't they allowed to? Instead she settled for just basking in the quiet peace that she felt in the presence of the man beside her on this quiet Christmas morning. She wasn't aware how early or late it was, but she knew that to be right here right now was just perfect.

After what could have been minutes or hours, Severus slowly opened his eyes, and got a slight shock when he saw two light brown eyes looking intently back at him. He heard a light giggle as he rolled over and grabbed his watch, noting both the time and the date before sitting up and looking down at his wife. "Do you always stare at me like that in the mornings?"

"How could I do that when you're always awake before me?" She replied, smirking slightly. He nodded as he accepted that he had lost this fight whilst she sat up to be eye level with him again. "By the way, Merry Christmas," she continued cheekily before kissing him. Severus didn't seem to mind the cheek as he replied to both gestures. Their blissful morning was soon interrupted by the call of Hermione's mum asking for help with some kind of cooking disaster. As Hermione walked out of the room, Severus felt the familiar signs of being summoned. _Even on Christmas bloody day? _he thought to himself as he tried to keep a straight face for when Hermione turned around and smiled at him cheekily. As soon as she left the room, Severus bolted out of the bed and got ready for a meeting with the Voldemort faster than he had ever tried before.

Hermione meanwhile was downstairs unaware of the turmoil Severus was going through. As she helped her mum grease the various trays for the lunch that was mere hours away, she was unaware of the looks that her mum was giving her. As she laid the trays beside each other in the order they would be required – in the true organised Granger fashion – she felt the stare and just smiled at her mum in a questioning manner. Mrs. Granger gave herself a little shake as though just coming out of a daydream and Hermione just asked "what is it mum?"

"Oh nothing darling…its just…you seem to have changed."

"That's what war does mum,"

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. Over the past few years I've noticed that dull look in your eyes you know. For the first time in ages you seem to be the old Hermione again…and I can guess why."

"Mum!"

"There's no need to act so shocked. Your dad may want to act like there is absolutely nothing between you and Snake-"

"Snape. And there's nothing going on," Hermione replied, a blush creeping along her cheeks, as she quickly turned back to the trays to adjust them slightly, her back to her mother. Adrianna just stared at Hermione's turned back, and quietly sat down at the nearby dining table.

"Hermione, come sit down," she said quietly, leaving Hermione no other reasonable choice but to go and sit down with her. Hermione took a seat opposite her, and tried to behave as nonchalantly as she could. But that was like asking Aragog to fit in a shoebox. Adrianna notices the nervousness in her daughter, so she reached over and took her hands in hers and gently said "Tell me everything."

Severus, meanwhile, was hearing his footsteps echo along the stone corridor as he approached the room when _he_ would no doubt be. Steeling himself for similar attack as the previous times, he opened the big door, to be met with Voldemort on his throne looking shameless and Pettigrew looking even more withdrawn than normal beside him, shaking slightly. "Severus…Merry Christmas," he said in his grand voice that drove men to war.

"Merry Christmas, my Lord," he replied back, the shield holding stronger than ever – and needing them to be that way.

"I've been watching the calendar Severus, and a few days ago I noticed a very special event. Tell me what it was Severus." Racking his brain for any and all information, Severus tried his hardest to think of an answer that wouldn't anger the volatile man in front of him. "No? Shame…you've been married for a month Severus." With this Voldemort stood up. "I like to think of myself as a very patient man Severus. I plot for years. I have waited for power for decades." Severus noted how he wasn't going in any real direction, more meandering around the room. "But," he continued, stopping still in his walk, "In order to get that power I need information Severus, which I thought I could get from my most trusted spy. Yet with all his skills and years being a spy he has yet to bring me any new information since he married a mudblood." He stalked towards Severus, and Severus could feel the familiar sense of fear in his stomach which he tried to push away. Voldemort stood right behind Severus now, and hissed "Why is that Severus?"

"My lord, I have gotten information since marrying the girl, but I didn't want to bother you with meaningless titbits." He said, hoping he could get away with it. He cried out as Voldemort kicked the back of his legs hard, causing him to fall onto all fours.

"I decide what is meaningful – not you! The smallest details are the ones that count the most!" Voldemort all but screamed. He began to circle the man, before crouching down to near his face. "I even tried to help you, sending dementors to scare her into giving you information. Yet still nothing." When silence ensued for a few moments, Voldemort murmured a spell and Severus felt as though he was getting kicked right in the stomach, causing him to writhe on the floor in pain. Every imaginary blow caused him shout. The spell was lifted a few minutes later, leaving a panting Severus on the floor. "Tell me everything Severus."

Severus breathed in and out for a few moments as he tried to block out the pain to think clearly. "She…she said that…Potter…Potter was going… to the burrow…for Christmas…" he said in between wincing every time he breathed. When he didn't feel the spell several long moments later, he prayed that that meant he was in the clear.

Voldemort was stood beside the man, considering his admissions. He then realised the value of it, and decided the man was worth keeping alive – for now. But he wasn't done with him yet. He leant down and stroked Severus' face gently "There, that wasn't so difficult was it?" he whispered before standing up straight again and sitting down on his throne again. "But I can't be seen promoting laziness can I?" he said before casting the torture curse on him. Severus held on as long as he could, looking the evil man right in the eyes before he slipped into unconsciousness.

"So you two technically aren't together?" Adrianna said, looking concerned at her daughter. Hermione just nodded. Adrianna took a few deep breaths whilst considering her next statement and how to word it. "We've always been honest to each other haven't we? So I'm going to have to be honest here as well. I'm concerned about the age gap, as is your father. He's in his forties-"

"He's 36-"

"Then my point still stands. I've always let you be your own person Hermione…but you have to know that this is risky just because of that 20 year gap. So…do what you must, but be aware of the risks."

A few moments of silence passed as the words sunk into Hermione. Finally, she just nodded and replied with "Thanks mum, I'll keep that in mind."

The rest of the day passed slowly for Hermione. After helping her mum with the trays, she ran back upstairs to her husband, only to find a messy room and a single note on the bed. 'Been summoned. I'll be back' in etched scrawls that looked even worse than normal.

This advancement pleased Andrew Granger to no end when Hermione said that Severus had been called away to a work thing. The rest of the day passed like any other Christmas in the Granger household. The presents were opened, the Christmas lunch was had, and a 'nice family time' was had all round. But beneath the veneer of the frivolities, Hermione couldn't help but worry for Severus. As each hour passed this concern only grew. Soon the day had fully passed, and Hermione made her way to bed, more worried than she had ever been before. As she walked into her bedroom, she found a bloody and injured Severus on the floor, scarily silent.

Thinking quickly, Hermione just lifted Severus onto the bed, using magic, before gingerly removing his robes and mask. She nearly sobbed when she saw all the cuts and bruises forming. She hurried downstairs and got the first aid kit and practically ran back to Severus. Shutting the door and silencing the room, she went over and sat down beside him, deciding what to do first. Applying some disinfectant to the first cut she saw on him, on his chest, she saw him wince and let out a breath of relief. "Severus?"

"…God's sake, do you not have anything that stings less?" he murmured, barely audible, and caused Hermione to give a slightly nervous giggle.

"Funnily enough, I don't have all the wizard potions and salves at my disposal in my muggle house. We'll have to make do," Hermione replied with, continuing with her work in near silence, Severus moaning at some points. When Hermione had done all she could do, she sat back to find Severus openly staring at her. Smirking slightly she turned away and couldn't help but reflect on how injured Severus had been. How it was all for some cause that barely included him – yet he did it anyway. "Why did he do this?" she asked, knowing that there was no reasonable answer.

Severus tried to recall what seemed like a million years ago, before stating "I wasn't being informative enough. It was my fault, I just forgot he needed to be kept at bay. Anyway, today is not the day to be discussing him." he said slowly, still sore from the clear beating he had received. Taking her hand delicately, he looked at her and said "Look in the drawer," and indicated that it was the bedside drawer he was talking about with a small shake of his head. Hermione had a small smile as she recognised that he was trying to change the subject, but she wasn't so willing to forget about it. She opened the drawer, whilst Severus looked on with bated breath.

There she saw the box, dark red with a golden bow on top, positively Gryffindor. She just looked up at him, her eyes big with wonder like he had seen so many times in class. "What is it?" she asked, smiling a little more as she did so.

"That's the point of opening a present isn't it Hermione?" he said rather sarcastically, causing her to blush a little, like he wanted her to. She gave him a look of mock scorn as she began to open it. When she saw what was inside she couldn't help but smile. Amongst some gold tissue paper, there lay a ruby red diary, with silver detailing on the outside. Turning it over to see the thickness, she saw a delicate ribbon holding the book shut, though not entirely shut as it was meant to be. Something looked wedged between the front cover and the first page of the book. Opening the book she gasped when she saw what was inside the front cover.

A single photograph and a mirror were displayed on the cover, but Hermione couldn't help but feel emotional when she saw what the photo was. It was of their wedding day, and as with most magical pictures she'd seen it was moving. It was of the exact moment when they'd been declared married, they looked at each other and kissed. But Hermione hadn't remembered any photographers there, and so simply looked at the ill man, who right now looked like a cat who got all the cream, and asked "How?"

"I've said it before Hermione, I'm a wizard, there's not much I can't do," he replied with a small smirk. Hermione just couldn't help but smile at it as the flicked through the pages feeling their luxurious thickness, meaning that any ink would never bleed through. "It'll never run out…it magically adds pages once you get close to the end," he continued, watching her for a reaction to see how well he had done. He saw her glow. He meant to tell her about another feature, but sleep claimed him before he got the chance.

Hermione hadn't noticed this change, sighed and nervously looked at her book whilst stuttering "What does this mean Severus? I know that there are risks, but that's what war is about isn't it? Two months ago you didn't even like me and now what? I just don't know if what we're feeling is relief or what...plus there's the age gap between us. Surely this means we shouldn't even try and be together. But despite all that, I really don't care. Severus, I think it's time we de-" She had finally looked up and seen her husband sleeping soundly, clearly not heard a word she had said.

Slightly heartbroken and unsure if she would ever have the guts again, she quietly got up from the bed and went downstairs to retrieve her present to Snape. She returned and put it on his bedside table, before climbing into bed herself, tiredness washing over her all of a sudden.

The first signs of dawn broke through the next morning immediately woke Severus with a jolt. His entire body ached and screamed, and he knew that he would have to get to his store cupboard soon. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed a festively wrapped box on the small table beside him. He glanced over and saw that Hermione was still sleeping soundly, and softly picked it up, and read the tag. He was surprised. It was the first time that anyone, other than Dumbledore, had given him a Christmas present for more years than he'd care to remember. He cautiously unwrapped it, making sure not to awaken the woman beside him, and smirked when he saw what it was. A T-shirt which had a picture of Grumpy from the Disney version of Snow White, and it said 'I'm already Grumpy, don't make it worse!' In that moment that he finally admitted something to himself. He was feeling deeper feelings for Hermione Granger, the know-it-all who mere months ago had annoyed him to no end in classes.

But he knew he could never tell her. There were far too many risks.


	22. Chapter 22 Going Back to School

The Christmas holidays passed quickly and soon Hermione found herself sitting in another empty compartment of the train. As the hills zoomed past her as she made her way to the castle her thoughts drifted to that very morning, when Severus had said goodbye to her. Her bags fully packed and making sure nothing had been forgotten, she noted a hesitance from him, in his usual black get up. He had recovered well since the meeting, and hadn't been bothered by Hermione's dad after he saw that Severus had been in a fight. "How are you getting back?" she had asked him, partly to release some of the tension in the room.

He snapped out of the little daydream he was in and said "How I got here." Hermione felt the prickles and so knew to leave it as she continued to look down her list.

"Will you be escorting me to the station?" she asked chirpily, trying to have a conversation with him.

"Well I thought as one of the Golden trio you could just about manage to make it to the station," he practically growled. She just kept going on about her business like nothing had happened. Just because Severus appeared to be PMS-ing didn't mean that she had to…That's when it hit her. Paling, Hermione felt faint and immediately began counting. She hardly noticed when Severus skulked out of the room, a faint popping sound coming from the corridor.

This left Hermione now on the train deeply contemplating everything. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud opening of the door. A quick glance told her that it was Harry, minus Ron, coming to join. He sat silently opposite her. "Haven't heard from you in a while Hermione."

"Thought you might be too busy with your new friend Lavender."

Harry looked both confused and annoyed in that moment. "Hermione, you can hardly be lecturing me on how to treat a friend! Ever since November you've been acting really distant, plus you are clearly hiding something and yet you refuse to tell anyone, even though we only want to help you!" His face had now turned red with anger, and Hermione just shrunk away into a corner, or that what she felt anyway.

After a few minutes Hermione just quietly asked "Harry, how are your Occlumency skills? I can barely trust Ron with any secrets and I didn't want to run the risk of _him_ finding anything out. I'm sorry."

"They've gotten better over the summer. I haven't had any messages from _him_. Please, Hermione. Just tell me," he said, sitting on the edge of his seat and held her hand, looking intently at her.

Hermione gave a steely look at him. A million thoughts ran through her mind. She wanted to blurt it all out. Instead what slipped out was a silencing charm on the door and "I think I might be pregnant." Harry just sat there stunned for a few minutes before a barrage of questions came out at one, who's it was, did she know for certain whether or not she was, did her and Ron end up having a fling after all, what was she going to do, and Hermione just sat there until Harry was done questioning her. "I don't know for certain yet, but I'm late. I suppose it could be stress, but I don't know. As for the father, it isn't Ron it's…it's my husband's."

Harry's eyes had turned into saucers. Eventually he responded with "WHAT!? You got married!? Why didn't you tell me or Ron or…anyone? Does Dumbledore know?"

"It was important to keep it a secret. It was a diversion whilst you got on with Dumbledore's secret missions Harry. Dumbledore knows; he was a witness. It was going to need to get done anyway Harry, the Ministry enacted a marriage law," Hermione explained, her voiced never rising to meet Harry's angered tone.

But then Harry got to thinking. "Hermione. The only way that your marriage would act as a distraction would be if…you married a Death Eater. But...Dumbledore wouldn't let any one of them marry you unless he knew that you would still be safe. And the only Death Eater that I know that Dumbledore trusts- for reasons I just don't know- is Snape." Hermione just looked at Harry, before averting her eyes, not out of shame but because she knew what was coming. "You married Snape!? You had sex with Snape!? Ewwww!"

"Oh grow up Harry!" she said, swatting him. Harry only gave a half smile as Hermione blushed furiously. "Yes…I am married to Snape. He's been a gentleman Harry. He's not as bad as you think. Harry…I need you to keep this a secret," she requested, holding his gaze. Harry thickly swallowed before nodding. "Good," she said before sharply getting up, reaching up onto the shelf above her head before grasping at the plastic stick that she had managed to buy before getting onto the train that morning. She had managed to smuggle it out of the train's bathroom in her small bag she kept at all times. Enough time had passed, and she looked at the small indicator, before looking back at Harry's expecting face.

* * *

Severus swooped into Dumbledore's office in his usual dramatic way, to find the man expecting him as usual. The older man looked sterner than usual. However, Snape refused to back down. "You summoned me."

"I did Severus. The Burrow was attacked over the holidays Severus. Voldemort wasn't meant to know about Harry's location there for that very reason. What happened?" Dumbledore said very slowly and surely. Snape's cheeks coloured ever so slightly. He then explained how he had given the information away, unaware it was to remain a secret, after being beaten and then tortured for the information. But the hard glare of the old man in the chair with the blackened hand showed no sign of sympathy. All he said was "I've made a mistake."

Snape was shocked at this. "A mistake? How?"

"I had forgotten one of the side effects. It makes one complacent." Snape looked quickly at the cursed hand, then back at the man's face. Even now he was speaking in riddles. Albus just smiled shortly at him and said "Not the curse Severus. Love." Snape just continued to look confused at the older man. "Not me Severus. You. I should never have let you fall in love."

"Let me…?" Snape repeated, a sick feeling growing in his stomach.

"I made it all up." Albus said, still looking thoughtfully at the old man. "After Sirius' death I saw the fatal flaw was Harry's lack of Occlumency skills – something I had tasked you with teaching him with, I needed a way to bring your full attention and skills to the war once more. And love is a strong motivator. So I looked at the candidates and the only one who could match your intellect was Miss Granger, besides I knew that she would do whatever she could for the war."

Snape was shell shocked. His entire body had frozen into shock. This couldn't be true. It wasn't! Hermione had gotten a letter from the Ministry demanding she get married! This wasn't true! "But Miss Granger got a letter-"

"Shacklebolt owed me a favour. I simply asked for some Ministry letterheads and an owl." Snape felt his mouth was open but he couldn't help it. Surely, he was going to wake up from this nightmare any moment now. He would wake up and Hermione would be there and…this mess just wouldn't have happened. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner Severus. But then I suppose your attention was elsewhere. Were you not surprised that no other muggle born girls were swept away by husbands?" _I presumed they were keeping it a secret, like we were_ Severus found himself answering, but still too stunned to physically respond. _I never would have thought that it was all lies_. The fact that Dumbledore had orchestrated this entire thing made Severus sick to his stomach. But then there were other factors that made it seem so glaringly obvious which he wished he could have stopped, like Dumbledore telling him that he was to marry Hermione the morning before she even got her letter. He felt like such an idiot.

"You…you _know_ what it takes to fully seal a magical marriage Albus. Why would you get me to do that with a young _girl_?"

"Because I knew that she would. And please Severus, she's practically an adult now." Ablus let a few minutes pass before saying "But like I said. This was all a big mistake, this past incident shows that even when you have love you're still distracted. And since I deceived you both into this marriage, you can easily get it annulled, providing there's no children in the pipeline. You can get away scot free."

"Scot free?" Severus repeated, anger lacing his tone now. He leaned over the desk and got into Albus' face – something he had never done before, and spat "She has lost _everything_. It cannot be replaced you foolish old man! You are not yourself, the Albus I know wouldn't do this, _why!?" _

"…Severus. Truthfully. You deserve love more than most. I wanted to give it to you. But I can't have it risking Harry's health. Get out of the marriage. I'll have the house elves move Miss Granger's things tonight." Albus said, before slowly getting up and leaving, whilst Severus continued to stare at the empty chair he left behind, shaken by the new information he had just been given.

* * *

Hermione was waiting in their chambers. He needed to know as soon as he entered the door. The train had gotten back earlier than normal so it was in the middle of the afternoon, when she heard the heavy door swing open and watch Severus stomp in, something clearly on his mind. Of course, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the white stick on their messy coffee table. Running a hand through his hair he picked it up, turned to Hermione and hissed "What is _this_?"

"I-I-It's a pregnancy test." She stuttered, her nerves beginning to show through.

"And you didn't think to wait till _I _was here to take it!" he said throwing it at her, making her jump slightly. He marched over to his table, sorting it out somewhat whilst his back was to her.

"But there would have been no point – I'm not pregnant," Hermione tried to reason, feeling like she was dealing with a dragon and she was a lamb for slaughter.

Severus turned back to Hermione. "No point?" Hermione felt shivers down her spine, though she sensed fear in his eyes. "That child would have been mine as well. I deserve to be one of the first people to know its fate."

Hermione closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him. "What's the real issue here?" She then gently placed a hand on his face, her thumb stroking a cheekbone. His gaze that he had managed to hold was broken as he looked away. "Severus, what's going on?"

They were interrupted when a house elf entered with a big trunk and began to gently pack Hermione's things into them. "Severus!? What's going on!?" she asked with surprise as the small creature continued its tasked.

She felt his big hand gently clasp hers and pull her hand away from his face. Still looking at the floor he said "Our marriage is false Hermione. Dumbledore orchestrated it from the start. Because it was based on deceit we can get out of this. He has decided that that is the best thing for everyone," he explained, and she saw a tear roll down his face.

_A lie?_ She shook her head at this. Then her brain kicked into gear "Severus? Look at me," and he did, silent tears passing down his face, whilst the house elf continued its job. "Is this what you want?"

Severus considered her words for a few moments before gently cupping her face "I just want your happiness."

Hermione began to cry at that moment. She looked into his dark eyes before saying "Then don't let me go."


End file.
